Blessing, Andy, & Barrett's Top 10s 2024 - Kinda Funny Gamescast

Summary

Summary of "Blessing, Andy, & Barrett's Top 10s 2024" – Kinda Funny Gamescast

Release Date: January 16, 2025

In the January 16, 2025, episode of the Kinda Funny Gamescast, hosts Blessing Adeoye Jr., Andy Cortez, and Barrett Courtney delved into their personal top 10 video game picks for the year 2024. This episode provided an engaging look into each host's favorite titles, offering detailed analysis, personal anecdotes, and lively discussions on the strengths and weaknesses of each game. Here's a comprehensive breakdown of the episode:

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1. Introduction

The episode kicked off with the hosts exchanging playful banter and setting the stage for the main content: each presenter sharing their individual top 10 games of 2024. They established a format inspired by REMAP radio, where each host would reveal their list sequentially, ensuring that overlapping game preferences were managed smoothly using a "code word" system to avoid spoilers and repetitions.

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2. Methodology

Barrett Courtney introduced the segment by explaining their approach compared to the previous year's combined list, which resulted in an exhaustive four-hour discussion. This time, opting for a more streamlined method, each host would present their top 10 independently, allowing for deeper dives into their personal choices without overstaying the topic. Barrett emphasized the importance of personal rankings to reflect individual gaming experiences and preferences.

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3. Top 10 Lists

A. Blessing Adeoye Jr.'s Top 10 Games of 2024

1. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

   • Blessing highlighted the emotional depth and enhanced storytelling of the remake. At [30:00], she remarked, “It’s like reliving the story with a newfound perspective, making every moment impactful.”
   • Barrett praised the voice cast and modern enhancements, noting how the game resonates emotionally with both new players and long-time fans.

2. Dragon Ball Sparking Zero

   • Blessing described it as a "dream game" that flawlessly merges nostalgia with contemporary graphics and mechanics, stating at [60:30], “This game should not exist, but it does, and it’s perfect.”
   • Barrett commended its visual brilliance and faithful adaptation of the Dragon Ball universe.

3. Metaphor Refantasio

   • Blessing lauded its narrative mastery and thematic richness, saying at [91:34], “It’s one of the most important stories in the 2020s, blending intricate storytelling with profound themes.”
   • Barrett echoed the sentiment, appreciating its grand adventure feel and impressive character development.

4. Astrobot

   • Blessing emphasized its addictive gameplay and exploratory nature, mentioning at [72:50], “I couldn’t put this down; the secrets and mechanics kept me hooked.”
   • Barrett highlighted its visual quality and the passionate development behind the game.

5. Balatro

   • Blessing praised its gameplay and puzzle design, referring to it as “nearly a perfect game” at [89:31].
   • Barrett admired its accessibility on mobile platforms and engaging mechanics.

6. Nine Souls

   • Blessing focused on its intricate puzzle design and compelling storytelling, stating at [76:30], “Every detail matters, and the narrative unfolds beautifully.”
   • Barrett compared it to dark fantasy titles, noting its challenging combat and emotional depth.

7. Batman Arkham Shadow

   • Blessing appreciated its VR integration and faithful representation of the Arkham universe at [51:30], “The VR experience adds a new dimension to the Arkham legacy.”
   • Barrett praised the storytelling and character portrayals, emphasizing its potential to innovate within the series.

8. Indiana Jones in The Great Circle

   • Blessing enjoyed its immersive sim elements and homage to the Indiana Jones spirit, saying at [30:52], “It captures the adventurous essence of Indiana Jones perfectly.”
   • Barrett compared it to the Star Wars Jedi games, highlighting its simplified yet engaging gameplay.

9. Pokemon TCG Pocket

   • Blessing highlighted its accessibility and addictive card collection mechanics at [14:00], “I couldn't stop opening packs and building decks.”
   • Barrett mentioned its competitive aspects and the fun of deck-building.

10. 1000 Times Resist

    • Blessing discussed its compelling storyline and thematic depth, touching on power dynamics and societal trauma at [67:30].
    • Barrett praised its narrative structure and puzzle-solving elements.

B. Barrett Courtney's Top 10 Games of 2024

1. Metaphor Refantasio

   • Barrett considered it his number two overall, commending its grand adventure feel and impressive storytelling, aligning with Blessing’s praise.
   • He noted the game’s ability to evoke deep emotions and its meticulous character development.

2. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

   • He appreciated the remake's enhancements and how it solidified his love for the original game.
   • Highlighted the improved voice acting and modern gameplay mechanics.

3. Nine Souls

   • Barrett emphasized its challenging combat and deep narrative, likening it to dark fantasy titles with rich storytelling.
   • Applauded its intricate puzzle design and emotional resonance.

4. Batman Arkham Shadow

   • Praised its VR integration and storytelling, noting its potential to innovate within the Arkham series.
   • Highlighted the game’s faithful adaptation of beloved characters and immersive gameplay.

5. Balatro

   • Commended its accessibility and engaging gameplay mechanics, especially on mobile platforms.
   • Appreciated the game's design and the effort put into making it enjoyable for a broad audience.

6. Nine Souls

   • Reiterated its challenging combat and emotional depth, comparing it to dark fantasy titles.
   • Highlighted its intricate puzzle design and compelling narrative.

7. Princess of Pearl Lost Crown

   • Barrett lauded its artistic visuals and engaging story.
   • Mentioned its captivating gameplay mechanics and compelling character arcs.

8. Animal World

   • Highlighted its raw and mesmerizing experience, appreciating the depth and creativity in its puzzle design.
   • Praised its unique art style and the immersive environment.

9. Dragon Age Veil

   • Emphasized its strategic combat system and deep narrative.
   • Appreciated the game’s character development and the emotional impact of its story.

10. Persona 3 Reload

    • Barrett regarded it highly for solidifying his love for the original game, praising its modern enhancements and faithful remake.
    • Highlighted the improved voice acting, streamlined combat, and enhanced storytelling elements.

C. Andy Cortez's Top 10 Games of 2024

1. Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

   • Andy lauded it as his top pick, praising its expansive open world and intricate storytelling.
   • Mentioned its seamless integration of lore and gameplay, creating an immersive experience.

2. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

   • Echoed Blessing and Barrett’s praise, focusing on its enhanced combat system and emotional depth.
   • Highlighted the game's ability to resonate with both new players and long-time fans.

3. Hades 2

   • Andy appreciated its refined roguelike mechanics and engaging story, noting its ability to maintain high replayability.
   • Praised the game's artistic direction and fluid combat system.

4. Metaphor Refantasio

   • Mentioned its grand adventure feel and deep narrative, aligning with Blessing and Barrett’s sentiments.
   • Highlighted the game’s ability to evoke strong emotional responses.

5. Balatro

   • Emphasized its engaging gameplay and puzzle design, appreciating its accessibility on multiple platforms.
   • Praised the game's creativity and the effort put into its development.

6. Dragon Age Veil

   • Highlighted its strategic combat and deep narrative, appreciating the game’s character development.
   • Mentioned its emotional storytelling and engaging gameplay mechanics.

7. Batman Arkham Shadow

   • Praised its faithful adaptation of the Arkham universe and innovative VR integration.
   • Appreciated the game’s storytelling and immersive gameplay.

8. Indiana Jones in The Great Circle

   • Enjoyed its homage to Indiana Jones and immersive sim elements, noting its engaging adventure spirit.
   • Compared it to other immersive sim titles, highlighting its simplified yet captivating gameplay.

9. Pokemon TCG Pocket

   • Highlighted its addictive card collection and deck-building mechanics, appreciating its competitive aspects.
   • Mentioned its fun and engaging gameplay that kept players hooked.

10. 1000 Times Resist

    • Discussed its compelling storyline and thematic depth, focusing on power dynamics and societal trauma.
    • Praised its narrative structure and puzzle-solving elements.

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4. Notable Discussions and Insights

• Overlap Management: The hosts employed a "code word" system to handle overlapping game preferences. For instance, when both Blessing and Barrett ranked Astrobot highly, they agreed to defer detailed discussions until their respective rankings allowed ([05:49]).

• Emotional Resonance: A recurring theme was the emotional impact of games. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and Metaphor Refantasio were frequently mentioned for their ability to evoke deep feelings and resonate on a personal level.

• Gameplay Mechanics: The hosts emphasized the importance of innovative and engaging gameplay mechanics. Dragon Ball Sparking Zero and Nine Souls were highlighted for their strategic depth and challenging combat systems.

• Artistic Direction: Visual and artistic elements were a significant point of praise. Balatro and Persona 3 Reload were commended for their stunning graphics and thoughtfully designed environments.

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5. Audience Interaction

Throughout the episode, the hosts interacted with super chats from their audience, acknowledging comments and incorporating viewer feedback into their discussions. Notable mentions include:

• Trevor’s Super Chat ([112:52]): Trevor shared his experience with Persona 3 Reload, expressing newfound appreciation after a demo session.

• S Bubby’s Super Chat ([113:03]): S Bubby praised Tekken 8, highlighting its combat system and content depth.

These interactions added a layer of community engagement, making the discussion more relatable and interactive for listeners and viewers.

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6. Conclusion

As the episode wrapped up, each host reiterated their top picks, reinforcing the diversity of preferences and gaming experiences within the group. Barrett secured Metaphor Refantasio as his number two, closely followed by Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, while Andy crowned Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree as his favorite of the year.

The hosts expressed gratitude towards their audience for their support and hinted at upcoming content, including streams and future episodes. The episode concluded on a high note, celebrating a successful year in gaming and looking forward to more engaging discussions.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Blessing Adeoye Jr. ([60:30]): “This game should not exist, but it does, and it’s perfect.”

• Barrett Courtney ([91:34]): “It’s one of the most important stories in the 2020s, blending intricate storytelling with profound themes.”

• Andy Cortez ([106:44]): “Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has an incredible combat system that intertwines strategy and fast-paced action.”

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Final Thoughts

This episode of Kinda Funny Gamescast offered an in-depth and personal exploration of the hosts' favorite games of 2024. By focusing on individual rankings and fostering engaging discussions, Blessing, Andy, and Barrett provided valuable insights into what made these titles stand out. Whether you're a longtime follower or a new listener, this episode serves as a comprehensive guide to the best games of the year, enriched by the hosts' unique perspectives and passionate analyses.

Transcript

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Foreign. Yo, what's up? Welcome to kind of funny games cast for Thursday, January 9th, 2025. That's a lie. Thursday, January 16th, 2025 on your host blessing. Adio. Yeah, Junior. Joining me is CEO Junior Barrett Courtney.

[Barrett Courtney]

What a bless.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

And we got the nitro rifle. Andy Cortez.

[Andy Cortez]

Hello, bless. Hello, bear. Hello, gamers.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

A lot of people would say that this is the. The gamer panel right here.

[Andy Cortez]

People actually play games.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Yeah, People actually boot up their consoles.

[Barrett Courtney]

And PCs who actually know how to parry.

[Andy Cortez]

Oh, man.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Oh, yeah. Know how parry. How to parry.

[Barrett Courtney]

Poppy is right here.

[Andy Cortez]

Don't even talk to me about the lack of parry hanging.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

There we go. Give me a puzzle to solve also. Oh, God. Mike just walking for some reason. For some reason talking about the gamers. Mike just walked with his laptop. Mike, what you doing back there? He's watching you. He's watching us. He's watching us. What a good guy.

[Andy Cortez]

I remember this horizontal.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Horizontal lay down on the couch back there.

[Barrett Courtney]

In 15 minutes, we're going to hear the goat man.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

I'm over here trying to talk about Indiana Jones. JK. That's not on my top 10 list because. That's right. We're talking about top 10 list today. Because remember, this is kind of funny games cast. Each and every weekday we get together and talk about the biggest reviews, previews and topics in video games live on YouTube, Twitch, and on podcast services around the globe.

[Barrett Courtney]

Jesus Christ.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

That was all we do to support us with the kind of funny membership. Sometimes you got to keep people on their toes on Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, or Apple podcasts. Get all of our shows ad free, watch us record them live, and get a daily exclusive show. My. My goal today is just to surprise Barry because I've done it twice in the last five minutes and it's been what else?

[Barrett Courtney]

Oh, yeah, you're talking about videos that you used to watch back in the day.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Yeah, what I said. I said, you know, sometimes you just. Sometimes you just let the Internet take you. Yeah. And you just go down the rabbit hole. It changes it.

[Barrett Courtney]

Jesus Christ.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

For a chance to be a part of the show, submit your thoughts and opinions as YouTube super ch as we go. Housekeeping for you. A lot of y'all made comments about loving the anniversary logo and the water bottle sl notebook we got for the team. So the new anniversary merch collection is now up on kind of funny.com store. And remember, we're no f in person business. All about live talk shows. KFGD before, this was us reacting to the Switch 2 reveal with a full panel. It is me. It is Greg. It is Tim. It is Andy. It is bared on the ones and twos. Talking about the Switch 2 for over an hour. So you're going to want to check that out. Not really. Kevin in the. Kevin in the back asked are we excited for it? You know, I'm going to tell.

[Barrett Courtney]

This wasn't, this wasn't the day of excitement. I feel like this was just the day of like, hey, here's, here's the shit that's been leaking for the last month. April will be when we get April.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

When I get hyped. Yeah, because April is when they're going to announce a Barrett. It's coming to the switch too. That's right. Nintendogs. It's back.

[Andy Cortez]

Yeah, it's bad.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

You're going to take care of them dogs.

[Barrett Courtney]

I can't believe I'm going to be able to play as Mike Minati and Jeff Grubb.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Exactly.

[Andy Cortez]

I got the nintend dog in me, you know.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

And then after Gamescast is the stream. It is some games Mike and Nick, I have it written down. It's Donkey Kong country returns.

[Barrett Courtney]

Mike, are we still playing Donkey Kong today?

[Andy Cortez]

He said woo.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

He said woo. He didn't give us a yes or no. He just said. He just said woo. We're supposed to play it eventually. Mike's gonna start with some game for hopefully 10 minutes and then we're gonna move on to it. Maybe we're gonna play for an hour. Maybe he's, he's, he's.

[Barrett Courtney]

It's gonna end up being Cinetu Nurdle or whatever. Probably.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

It's a lot. It's been a lot of fun.

[Barrett Courtney]

It has been a lot of fun.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Yeah. If you're a Kind of Funny member you can get today's Greg Way and you can get screencast later which is going to be Creature Commandos. Thank you to our Patreon producers Delaney Twining and Carl Jacobs. Today are brought to you by better Help Expressvpn and Me Undies. But we'll tell you about that later. For now let's begin with what is and forever will be topic of the show. Our game of the year top tens for 2024. Of course, if you missed it. On Monday we revealed Kinda Funny's game of the year and Kinda Funny's top 10 games of the year. Using our lists combined, the games hosts here at Kinda Funny of course submitted our lists to Barrett. We Then revealed from 10 to 1. If you missed it, go check it out. Spoilers Helldivers 2 is our game of the year. Congratulations, Helldivers 2.

[Andy Cortez]

Wow.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Congratulations, Helldivers 2. That's a lie. But that was all of our combined lists. Throughout this week, we've wanted to go through and individually reveal our own lists to talk about our own top 10.

[Barrett Courtney]

Yes. Because last year for Game of the Year, we did it all in one chunk and that was a four hour podcast. @ the end of the day, we all looked at each other and said.

[Andy Cortez]

Why did we do that?

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

That was so long.

[Barrett Courtney]

That took so much out of us. And so for Game of the year this year, we liked being able to share our personal top 10. So we decided to now that we do Gamescast every day. That is a big factor for last year as well. We did. We. We used to not do that.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Bless. Not do that.

[Barrett Courtney]

Imagine a world Gamescast PlayStation podcast. Yeah, exactly. So now that we have Gamescast every day, we thought it would be fun to make it a whole Game of the year week. Of course, you know, Shuhei Yoshida coming in trying to ruin those plans. Nintendo coming in and trying to ruin those plans. But we're still getting it done and we're still having a fun time. So.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Yeah, I love seeing Andy add his links in. The links aren't even links. There's the titles of the. Of the games.

[Andy Cortez]

You can click on that. Oh, you can click on it.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Oh, no, you can click on it. It's just more so I'm like, your top 10 is being spoiled for me because I was excited.

[Barrett Courtney]

Yeah, we're like feeling it to each other.

[Andy Cortez]

That's for Kevin.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Okay.

[Barrett Courtney]

I didn't even know that there was a run of show. Shit.

[Andy Cortez]

Well, Kevin. Oh, yeah, the links and stuff.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

So how are we doing this? Of course we're going to start off. We're going to talk about each of our tensions, each of our nines, each of our eights, and we're going to go like that. We're going to go in a circle. But Barrett came to me yesterday and gave me the excellent idea of if I see a game that's my number 10 and somebody has it higher, we then wait to talk about it then.

[Barrett Courtney]

Yeah. So as an example, let's say your number 10 is as robot. And Andy and I both have it on our 10 on our top 10 higher. We won't say where as Robot is on our list. We'll just say, that's awesome blessing. Let's wait to talk about it because we have it higher on our list. And then whoever has asot the Highest. That's when we'll actually be like, okay, let's talk about Astrobot. I. I really like this format. I believe from REMAP radio, this is how they do talk about and share their personal game of the year list. And I. I think it's a fun format. So shout out to that crew over there. I'm sorry for stealing this formula, but I think it's fun.

[Andy Cortez]

Don't look at the run of show. Bless. Don't. Don't get. I don't want you to look at my stuff.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

I'm not.

[Andy Cortez]

So, yeah, for Kevin's eyes only.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

You got that? So, yeah. So if I say a game, that's my number 10. You have either. You guys have it higher, you step in. We need a good, good code word. What's a code word that we can say? I think we need to say.

[Andy Cortez]

I have Mark echoes getting up.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Mark Echo's getting up. Okay.

[Barrett Courtney]

I think I. I think it's just. That's cool. I have it high, like, just like.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

I don't know. Why do we need a code word, man? I like safe words.

[Andy Cortez]

Say banana.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Say banana. I like Mark echoes getting up.

[Barrett Courtney]

Mark echoes getting up.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

All right, do we want to do a straw poll?

[Andy Cortez]

Do you. Do we want to pull a straw? This is still one of the to discover in 2024.

[Barrett Courtney]

Straw pole.

[Andy Cortez]

Straw pole. Isn't that when we pull straws?

[Barrett Courtney]

Like.

[Andy Cortez]

No, bless. It's straw pole.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

P, O, L, L. Kevin, think of a number between 1 and 10. 7. God damn it. Mike think. Not say Mike, think of a number between 1 and 10. 4. All right, I'm going to say. God damn it. I'm going to say four. Bear, what do you got?

[Barrett Courtney]

Three.

[Andy Cortez]

Andy. Nine.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

What's the number? Who's closest?

[Barrett Courtney]

You.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

What do you say? Oh, okay, I'm close, so I'll go first, and we'll just go down the line then.

[Barrett Courtney]

Okay.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Oh, he said. You said five. Mike said five. For the people listening and watching. That's what I was thinking, Mike. All right, my number 10 for my game of the year top 10 is 1000 times resist.

[Barrett Courtney]

Mark Echo's getting up. That's lovely. Bless.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

I love that.

[Barrett Courtney]

But I have it higher on my list.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

All right, Barrett, I pass on to you. What is your number 10 game?

[Barrett Courtney]

My number 10 game is Astrobot.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Marco, I like this.

[Barrett Courtney]

It's a good day for it.

[Andy Cortez]

Good enough is what I meant.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Marquetto's getting up. Andy, what's your number 10?

[Andy Cortez]

My number 10 is one of two DLCs. Destiny 2, the Final Shape.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Wow.

[Andy Cortez]

Special experience for me.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Talk about it, Mark. Echoes Going down. Going down. Going down.

[Andy Cortez]

Kevin's sneeze was. It was outrageous. Over. I have a trailer in the doc for you, Kevin, if you'd like to look at the trailer for Destiny 2, the final shape. Destiny 2, the final shape. Fun ass video game. I wish more people in the office wanted to share this experience with me. Play it with Snowbike Mike. And it's such a short experience that I would still run through it again because it's so much. It's just so much multiplayer fun. And the narrative felt direct and focused, even though I was still confused because I hadn't been keeping up with that much of Destiny 2 at all.

[Barrett Courtney]

Right.

[Andy Cortez]

But those. The whole final moments and kind of having this large culmination of all of these years, kind of feeling like this is where it's all about to go down. I just had a great time with it. Spoilers. Cade 6 is back. Oh, damn.

[Barrett Courtney]

I was at IGN when they killed him. That's awesome.

[Andy Cortez]

Having Nathan Fillion back in the. Back in the roster.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Does he come back in like a satisfying way? Or is it one of those ones where it's like.

[Barrett Courtney]

It's a different Cade 6 from a different universe.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Like, oh, y'all just trapped. Dragged him back in the story.

[Barrett Courtney]

You.

[Andy Cortez]

You kind of. I think you get like, sent to like the memories or like a purgatory heaven. Like, here's how. Here's what I mean. Let me just. Obviously you can already tell. I barely understand a whole lot of what's happening anyway, but you're just clicking. Doesn't matter.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

What's the final shape?

[Andy Cortez]

The gameplay? No, it's a dodecahedron.

[Barrett Courtney]

Oh.

[Andy Cortez]

So the gameplay is just so incredibly fun. The. The. It's my favorite type of like raid mechanic stuff where, I mean, not that we did the raid, but shoot that thing to lower it and then make sure you. I need you to be on these. Like, the level of coordination was still very much there and it got intense. If you wanted to play on the harder difficulty so that you could get the better loot. I just had a freaking blast with this experience. And then the final moment to then, hey, you're not. You're no longer in a three player lobby anymore. You and not you and 11 other players or your trio and four other trios are now all on the screen right now. Taking. So it was me, Mike. I think maybe Chris Anka was there and a bunch of just kind of funny best friends from the chat joining us on this final mission, as we take down the Witness, the mission preceding that was a shitload of fun as well. But then that final moment was just awesome because this son of a bitch would grow gigantic and have, like, certain attacks that you all had to watch out for. It was a blast. Dude. This was, like, some of the most fun I've had in first person mission shooting. Had a freaking blast with it. Everybody check out the final shape. Unless they put out a DLC later on that makes it unplayable, because who knows how Bungie operates.

[Barrett Courtney]

I'm so happy for you and all the Destiny freaks out there. Like, I got the. The. You know, the taste for it with Destiny 2 when it first launched, and, like, got to do that very first raid, and that was fun. And then I kind of just. I was like, all right, yeah. And, like, I'm gonna walk away, and I. You came back to it last year, majorly, right?

[Andy Cortez]

Yeah. I hopped in with the. The. The 1. The DLC preceding the final shape, which was the one in that big.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

What was it?

[Andy Cortez]

It was sort of cyberpunk. It was light fall.

[Barrett Courtney]

Was it, like, fall?

[Andy Cortez]

I believe it was, like. Because it looked like light year. Looked like.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Yeah, yeah. Almost looked like it took place in the future.

[Andy Cortez]

And the thing is, you know, that was still largely disappointing for a lot of fans because of just the mission structure and maybe the. Sure, the world may have looked cool, but it wasn't super satisfying to kind of get around that zone. But for me, who hadn't played Destiny in years, I had a lot of fun with it anyway. And then that kind of led me into being prepared for the final shape and just having a blast with it. By the end of it, I ended up finding. I ended up having a gun that I had never experienced in Destiny. And that's not to say much, because I have way less hours than anybody who cares about Destiny 2 in a major way. But I had a gun that healed my teammates when I would shoot them. So it. Dude, it felt so much fun, and I wanted. It made me feel like, oh, man, I wish you had this from the start. I wish you had more things like this where I'm shooting the enemies, and then I see Mike's health bar going down, and I start shooting him and his health bar. Dude, it was just so active and fun. It's exactly kind of what I was hoping for in a shooter experience, but told in such a really cool way. And again, the art direction, just out of this world, any new era, you'd walk into some of the Most stunning shit you'd ever seen on a really old engine that kind of got, you know, beefed up maybe three or four years ago. But it's still by no means the latest tech ever. Right. But it still looked absolutely unbelievable. Reminds me a lot of why we love from software where they're not ever going to be the bleeding edge of tech, but their art direction carries so much. Bungie's art direction is just fucking phenomenal. Yeah, I had a great time with it. And yeah, if anybody loves first person shooters, I think who gives a shit? If you don't know anything about destiny, just hop in for that co op experience because it is so much fun.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

I love that. Before we get to number nine, I want to bring in some super chats. John Van Pelt writes in and says, my basketball and anniversary shirts are on the way. Very exciting. Zackson Galaxian writes in and says unrelated but shout out to Kevin Ace, who I randomly teamed up with in Rivals last night. I blame the loss on Mike. Hashtag Mike sucks.

[Andy Cortez]

Nice. I saw him. I saw Kevin get on. I think Kevin was playing with Chris Anka last night.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Nice.

[Andy Cortez]

I was playing that hyperlite breaker.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

And then Cody Bishop writes in and says, rip David lynch, man, that was.

[Barrett Courtney]

So sad to see in the chat. It was during the Nintendo Switch reveal. Yeah, he passed at 79 years old or whatever. Fucking legend.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Yeah, great head of hair.

[Barrett Courtney]

Great. Like that is. You're gonna. You're gonna have his head of air when we're 70 years old.

[Andy Cortez]

I mean, if the finasteride keeps on working. If not hair plugs, I'm going to Turkey.

[Barrett Courtney]

Yeah, let's do it.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

If you guys want to super chat in. Right. I highly encourage super chatting in about the games we talk about. If you have a piece that you want to say as well as we go. Number nine. My number nine game is Pokemon TCG Pocket. Nobody's getting up. All right, let's hear about it. Pokemon TCG Pocket is a game that I think as a card game, as a competitive game, definitely has its flaws. But like, those flaws didn't stop it from getting its hooks into me to the point where, like in a year where there are plenty of games that I put in hundreds of hours into, like Pokemon TC Pocket, possibly I'm not checked. I don't even know how to check. Possibly has my highest play time.

[Barrett Courtney]

I think same. Yeah, yeah.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Like I am logging into this game every day. I'm somebody that when it comes to games having dailies or weeklies or anything, like, usually that's a surefire way to make me check out. But I am needing to open these packs. I am, I am getting excited when I get a full art card. I think this was actually probably the gateway for me into getting into magic because understanding like what a full art card is and like the types of rarities and even like just getting into the battle system and like deck building. Right.

[Andy Cortez]

Knowing the language.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Yeah, knowing the language. Like the way that has ushered me into magic, the gathering obsession. I can't, I can't put it lightly, like how much magic has a hold on me now. And I think a lot of that starts off with Pokemon TCG Pocket as a basic card game. I think it does get the job done. Right. I know I mentioned that it has its flaws, right. But like, I think for a game that is focused on let's be an easy version of the Pokemon trading card game. Let's be a version that you can make a deck in honestly seconds. You can auto build and then look at whatever 10 item slash trainer slash support cards you want and then 10 actual Pokemon cards that you want in your deck. It is so concise, it is so small. But I think that works so well to its benefit. A lot of it is based on luck, but I think I like that for this game. Right. It is something that is a. All right, let me just, let me. The battle system for me is an additional way to show off the cards that I've collected and like leaning into, oh man, I can make my celeb card play well with this other card to like, you know, build up.

[Barrett Courtney]

And the fun, like simple matchups, right? Like, yes. Like the cards and the powers that they have in this game are not nearly as complicated as the actual like Pokemon card game can be. But there's still a lot of like fun, interesting things. And you know, seeing other players build decks that aren't from like the pre made ones and seeing like what everybody else can come up with is really fun. This was one that I, I did think about for a little bit and it's definitely. But for me it turned into like, this is my mindless fucking. Put it, turn it on at the end of the day for like 10 minutes and not really think about it too much. I am sad that it didn't make the top 10 only because, you know, because it's like a phone screen. I had to get really creative with how to put it up on the back wall. And I was very proud with what I ended up doing for that. But alas, yeah.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

And this is also one of the rare mobile games that'll make it onto my top 10. Right. Like I'm somebody who when it comes to mobile gaming, oftentimes I just don't like having games my phone. I don't like using my phones to play game, like play games. I want that to be separate. I don't know, like, I've just never been that person. But this is the one that has really bucked the trend for me. I am just playing this thing non stop all the time. And so shout out. Pokemon TCG Pocket. That is my number nine game.

[Andy Cortez]

I finally canceled my subscription for that card pass thing. I finally did it.

[Barrett Courtney]

Yeah, I did it. After the. The first month was up or whatever, I was like, I, I gotta do this now or I'm never going to. To.

[Andy Cortez]

Yeah.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Barrett, what is your number nine?

[Barrett Courtney]

My number nine is. Let me triple check here. Thank goodness you're here.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Oh, love that.

[Barrett Courtney]

Yeah, thank goodness you're here. We've talked about it a lot. I know Greg and Lucy James, you know, share so much love for this. When they originally reviewed it. Yeah, it's, you know that cartoony looking British game where it's kind of called self titled as a slap former. Right. You're going around this little town as this guy who's helping out this town in some way, shape or form. You're supposed to talk with the. The mayor and then you instead go out and cause havoc throughout the town and help people out in whatever way you can. But the only mechanic you really have is slapping things. And honestly, you know, people have been talking about this game a lot, especially with a game of the year conversation. It's just something I like, can't understate is like how well it does humor. I think it's like one of the most consistently funny games. There's not a joke where I'm like, oh, that didn't land like every joke almost at least got like a good chuckle out of me. Right. All of the bits that kind of like always wrap around in fun ways. My favorite bit is just going down the chimney of that one dude. Because a lot of the times the way you're going through the town, you always have to go in a certain direction. So you're going down this guy's chimney like five times throughout the game to get to the next story be and you just mess up his living room every single time. It's like, oh, God damn, that's. That's sad. And then there's just so many good bits like the guy with the really big head and like going through the trauma of like his life, trauma of like what that has done to him throughout his life, you know, but also like the fun, like small town relationship stuff of like the. The team with like the braces and like her having a crush on like a. I think like a dude who works at like a different like competing store or whatever. And it's all just like fun little like it felt like comfort a little bit. It has that like kind of classic, maybe not to the same degree, but like Monty Python, flying circus type of like style and vibe to it and. But also just kind of being wholesome. And even though I'm not from, you know, this like a small town in the uk, like, I. I do know of like what it's like to be a part of like a very small, tight community. And so just like playing through that and just learning about all like the little relationships and funny bits, it's just like, I love it so goddamn much. It's. And there's just something about like it also, even though it's a slap former, it also kind of feeling like a point and click adventure almost from like the 90s. I'm like, yeah, this is all I need.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

This is one that I very badly tried to fit in my top 10. And like at the end of the day, right, like, this was. This is an honorable mention for me. Like, I think this is probably my 11, 12, 13 spot somewhere in there.

[Barrett Courtney]

Yeah, my bottom three all shifted around. Like, there was one list where this wasn't on here, but then there were like two other lists where this was. And I was like, the more I thought about it, I was like, this can't not be on my list.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

God.

[Barrett Courtney]

The flower bit where you cut the.

[Andy Cortez]

Flowers at the beginning.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

I think both me and you had this as our player's choice for the Smileys as well. And like, I think for me this game is one that reminds me of in a really good way. Even though it's gonna sound maybe bad, but like, it reminds me of playing flash games growing up. Like games on Newgrounds where it is like, oh man, somebody has a very specific sense of humor and like a very specific thing they want to do. And they turned it into like this small, very charming thing. And this took me back to that. It takes me back to like early Adult Swim. It takes me back to like, I don't know, like there is a level of charm that it has that like, I want to see every year when it comes to indie games. Right? Like, I Love how funny it is. It reminds me of, like, playing jazz punk in, like, 2015.

[Barrett Courtney]

Yeah.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

So when it came out, right, Like, I love games that are so willing to try and be funny. Something like undertale as well.

[Barrett Courtney]

Like, and it doesn't try to overcomplicate itself. It doesn't try to be anything other than just you're walking around slapping shit, you know, I feel like any other. A lot of other indie devs could maybe get into their own head of, like, is this enough? Like, are people, like, they just. They found, like, hey, here is the delivery method of giving you all of these jokes that we want to tell. And I think because of how simple it is, it works so well.

[Andy Cortez]

Blown away by the visual quality all across the board. It always looked like such a high production 2D animation. Like, every sort of screenshot anytime that your little dude was just, you know, changing his size for no real reason. Loved all of that. When suddenly the scale is crazy and he's like, as small as a mouse or, you know, as large as just a normal human. I really, really enjoyed all that. I think for me, the game peaked with PE though.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

PE is really good.

[Barrett Courtney]

PE is really good.

[Andy Cortez]

The first thing the game opens up, it's like it's peas and beans. Beans. It was that where, like, I think maybe not that it peaked there, but it set the expectations so high for the rest of it. Which is why, like, oh, man, that joke was really, really good though. And everything else was, like, almost close for me.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

What was the one? What was the joke? It was like, early on where I believe, like, you're mowing the lawn or something for somebody and there's like a flower.

[Barrett Courtney]

Yeah, they're just like. It's like a. Just like a lovely day or whatever. And then you're just like, slow coming in from, like, way far in the background, mowing the. Mowing this, like.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

But isn't it, like, two flowers that, like, are trying to, like, are they starting a family? It's like, like a very, like, real thing is happening. Like, some emotional beat is happening with, like, these flowers are about to cut down. It just. You slowly in the background just mowing the lawn as, like, the, like, their narrative is like, getting more and more, like, serious and passionate.

[Barrett Courtney]

The flowers are declaring.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Yeah. Declaring their love for each other.

[Andy Cortez]

You stopping the burglar. The town burglar.

[Barrett Courtney]

Yeah.

[Andy Cortez]

Thread that kind of kept on developing.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

God, if you haven't played, thank goodness you're here. Highly recommend it.

[Barrett Courtney]

It's like two to three hours. Yeah, it's like a sitting maybe two. And it like plays great on Steam Deck. That was the first game I actually like hooked up my Steam deck to the TV and I played it like using like a dual sense or whatever. I was like, this is a fun time.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Oh yeah, yeah. Andy, what's your number? Nine.

[Andy Cortez]

Number nine for me is Prince of Persia lost crown. Super impressive. Metroidvania talked at length about it all year. Really. And it's the game that always kind of broke my heart that it took so long to get to Steam because I feel like it would have been a lot more success. And I know the argument on the other side is just because you put it on team doesn't mean it's going to be successful. But if you leave something on there long enough to allow people a chance to get more and more hyped about it, because on its, I think on its surface it can just look like a normal Metroidvania that maybe doesn't do anything remarkable. But I, I think that the game design behind all of the abilities you're getting, everything is just so smartly made in this game and there are so many things you continue to unlock throughout the rest of the journey that can be used in your kit or you could just kind of span the same buttons, but at one point having an ability that you sort of swipe and you create a black hole that either, you know, absorbs an explosive object that you can use to explode walls, or you can also swipe that black hole to absorb an enemy that you can then swipe again. That becomes your kind of fighter for you for a little bit. Or there was a random boss fight that. Where a boss fight, you know, does all this cool shit and you're having to kind of predict the moves, but then it rains down all these gigantic projectiles. And it was that boss fight that I was like, how do I avoid? Oh my God, I can swipe to suck out that projectile from the air and then re throw it at the enemy. It's just so damn smart in its design. I think that this is the one that I've said this many times, but this is the one that you show game, you know, up and coming game designers. Here is something to kind of be influenced by. Like this is like as. This is as high level as it gets for action combat. Metroidvania again, the combat in this game is just so unbelievably fun and deep and there are a lot of crazy gameplay videos out there of people just doing the most in insane combat stuff in this video game, because of how deep the combat can go, just had a freaking blast with it. I'm so glad I ended up finishing it because a lot of those did.

[Barrett Courtney]

Over the break, right?

[Andy Cortez]

Yeah, over the Christmas break. A lot of those challenge levels that remind me of Hollow Knight, the Path of Pain, where you're going through a lot of really tough sort of platforming stuff. You're having a dash super accurately, you're having to double jump and then use all of your abilities to get through these, you know, gauntlets of just spinning spikes and things like that. It gets so unbelievably cool and challenging and a game that I can easily recommend to anybody. The shame what happened.

[Barrett Courtney]

This is my biggest regret of 2024. I forget. Was this in February?

[Andy Cortez]

Yes, around that, I think January, actually.

[Barrett Courtney]

January. So it was because it was like the.

[Andy Cortez]

Whoa, we already have a goatee contender. We have a contender contender.

[Barrett Courtney]

I think this came out probably while I was reviewing Persona 3 and so I just, like, didn't have the time for it. And then by the time I did get to Prince of Persia, I was just like. I was kind of burnt out on playing video games. And I remember playing the first 30 minutes, I was like, this is not speaking to me because it is very story heavy in the first 30 minutes. I was like, it's not firing off the things I want in my brain.

[Andy Cortez]

Right now particularly great either. Yeah, I don't disagree with anybody being kind of feeling like this is just a normal ass video game that can be overlooked. I think that that is a very common thing to feel in that sort of opening moment.

[Barrett Courtney]

But everybody talking about it for game of the Year in conversations on podcasts lately, I'm like, I really want to play this game now, but let me tell you, I'm in the middle of the Uncharted trilogy.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

So, yeah, that's my thing is I'm in the same boat as you where.

[Andy Cortez]

I sent you another video, by the way. Kevin. Dan.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Not that like it's in my biggest regrets, but definitely in like the biggest, like, oh, man. If I could. If I could create more bandwidth for myself last year to play, to like play a few extra games, this would have for sure probably been number one.

[Andy Cortez]

This is just one of those sort of gameplay clips to show how deep the combat can go. No, yeah, keep playing it from there. So freaking impressive. The level of, I guess, of depth that you can have with all the abilities, shooting your arrows directionally, hitting enemies, rewinding back to the clone you put in midair, knocking Dudes up into the sky creating another clone, going back up to then kind of continue a combo. It's unbelievably cool, man.

[Barrett Courtney]

For audio listeners, it's almost like a combination of Devil May Cry and Guacamelee. And that just blew my mind. Yeah, that was fucking rad.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Yeah. And I'm again to be in the same boat as Bear, right. Like, this came out in. That in the time period where I think I'd started again, I would make. Maybe I can make different choices last year because I started playing like a dragon. Infinite wealth being like, oh, man, for the eighth time, this is going to be the one for me. And I played like 11 hours of it. And then Persona 3 came out. And so I switched to playing Persona 3, but then Tekken 8 came out, so I switched playing Tekken 8. And then by the time I finished all that, I came out in March and it was like, all right, like, I guess I'm going to. And then the next game was Tales Cancer is Now. And because that was new, I was like, okay, well, I'll play this for review or whatever. Right? And like, I'm glad I played it because that game was speaking to me. And as far as the kind of game it was, the culture, like, all that stuff. But like, I also thought that game was overall okay. And I'm like, man, I kind of wish that this, that maybe I spent the time playing this, actually playing Prince of Persia. Because, yeah, Prince Persia. Everything I've heard about it, everything I've seen about it, even seeing this clip, I'm like, goddamn, that seems like it would be my shit if I ever got around to it.

[Andy Cortez]

We should go back and just kind of look at past years where our gaming, like, regrets in terms of time. Because I just always think about. Because of release Windows and because of what you're playing in certain time periods, I always think about putting about 25 to 30 hours into Scarlet Nexus. And I really wish that that game and Tales of Arise had swapped spots that year.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Yeah.

[Andy Cortez]

Because I feel like I really would have vibed with Tales of Arise, but something else kind of came out when that game came out. It's like, oh, I had so much time in that period and I put it all in the Scarlet Nexus and it wasn't a bad game. But I wish I could redistribute that a backlog.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

What if.

[Andy Cortez]

Yeah.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Jumping back into Super Chats real quick, CJ super chats in and says, winter wonderlands between sweater arrived. Thank you, Andy.

[Andy Cortez]

Hell yeah, Dog wear that and be just, you know, different season.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

And then Jenny AKA said nuggies wrote in and says, watch the homie Vermu decks. Get the achievement for actually meeting with the mayor without getting in any trouble. Lol. So good. I believe talking about thank goodness you're here.

[Barrett Courtney]

It's a very. Was it far cry like thing where if you just. You're just a good boy and wait.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Oh, that's fun. Yeah, I don't think I realized that. That's cool. Number eight. My number eight is Persona 3 Reload.

[Barrett Courtney]

Mark echoes Getting. Getting up there is the second where I was like, what was the game again?

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

MARK ECHOES get down.

[Andy Cortez]

Never forget it.

[Barrett Courtney]

My number eight. And a lot of people are going to finally be vindicated here. Second time for this week. Indiana Jones in the great circle. Yeah, honestly, another big surprise for me for. For 2024. You know, I. I think we did not know what the vibe of this game was going to be really going into it. You know, for the longest time, Uncharted being kind of upheld as the Indiana Jones of video games. We were a lot of us, I think, assuming that this would be on the same level or same vibe as Uncharted and then seeing Indiana Jones kind of being adapted into a video game and actually fit what Indiana Jones is. I really adored it and I think they. The studio really did something special here. I've been equating it for the last couple of weeks to Star Wars Jedi, where I think they smartly looked at certain video game genres and picked out which ones felt the most genuine to what Indiana Jones is. And being kind of a very simplistic sim, immersive sim, a very basic puzzle solver, a very basic like kind of brawler and mixing and melding those. I think it makes it genuinely Indiana Jones throughout the adventure. Granted. I know like I. My biggest thing about it is like kind of the first opening area. I think the pacing of the. The game and kind of the what you're doing those first five hours is like a weird choice, but once you get past that like hump of the Vatican, this game really to me starts to. Starts to sing and you get a bit more of going back and forth between more of like a smaller story section area and then getting to explore Egypt. Right. Or you know, going up into the. The snowy mountains and stuff like that. And yeah, once you get to that like the end of the snowy mountain section, that game goes on a wild trip. From that point on, I was like, fuck, yeah. It reminded me how much I love actually like love The Indiana Jones movies and so many moments reminded me of watching Last Crusade for the very first time. Like the what the great circle is all about like story wise and all that stuff. It was like, damn, I see the vision. And this honestly feels more like a complete like granted Temple of Doom from what I remember was like a prequel. It wasn't in between like the first and third movie. This feels like the true. Like, like this is the, the story that's told in between the first and third stories here. And it fits so perfectly well combining you know, Indy's nerdy archaeology history, but also his understanding of different religions and all this stuff and combining all those things and you can't help but feel the excitement when he feels excited discovering stuff when the. His crew helps him out and then yeah, the gameplay I would say is very basic. It is very much like person's very first immersive sim. But I don't, I don't necessarily see that as a bad thing. Yes, AI is a little bit dumb, but I think for people, for general audiences who want to just like play an Indiana Jones game, I think this is a cool opportunity to give them this game and be like, oh, you've never tried this type of game before. You never tried to be more stealthy and focus on that because if you go loud and all that stuff, it's going to be a rough time.

[Andy Cortez]

Yeah, let's put it in this wrapper of.

[Barrett Courtney]

Yes.

[Andy Cortez]

And that's the end Jones adventure.

[Barrett Courtney]

Yeah. And that's why I equate it to the Star Wars Jedi games of like that is very much someone's first souls game of like if you've never played this type of game before but you just like ip, this is something cool and neat to introduce you to a different type of genre. Troy Baker kills it as indie and yeah, the, the last like 30 minutes I fucking adore. And it reminds me of just like some of the most exciting moments that you would see at the end of an Indiana Jones story. Which is like really what brought it up to my top 10 for me. But shout out to that final boss fight. I would say in contention with the uncharted forward final boss fight as this is the most awkward final boss fight.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Yeah, like why like quite a few of the pretty much any boss fight in this game, I'm like, yeah, I don't.

[Barrett Courtney]

There was one, there was one where it's all about like being in the.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Dark and oh, even that one I wasn't following.

[Barrett Courtney]

Oh, I, I was, I was into it just more from like the puzzle scenario and this, it felt genuinely like a Indiana Jones moment of like, all.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Right, how the fuck does he have.

[Barrett Courtney]

To figure out, like, what does he have to do to get through the. The scenario? Yeah. And just honestly just finding any sort of weapon to beat up Nazis with. Fuck, yeah, I'm into it.

[Andy Cortez]

I need, I. I need one of them 5090s whenever they come out because, you know, my 4090 would kind of maxed out, get me a little bit above 60 frames per second. But this game was awarded digital foundries, I think best looking game of 2024. So I really kind of, I want to experience this game especially knowing that it is not a 30 hour experience, knowing that it is a bit on the shorter side. And I just, you know, I love kind of just seeing how tech can really kind of push a game and keep me interested because I just love visuals.

[Barrett Courtney]

Even on the series S, which is just the only Xbox console I have at home, it was like, damn, this is looking good. Not as good as I know it can look, but even on an S, I was like, damn.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Yeah. For me it's one of those ones where it's like this is the equivalent of being in an Indiana Jones theme park. Like how the levels are set up where you are just walking around the Vatican, you're just doing side quests, you're sneaking around and you're just doing things. And it's. So this comes back to the immersive sim element of it, but I think even more so just the. How deliberate the design is and how thoughtful it is as a. All right, what does Indiana Jones do? He's not, he's not Nathan Drake. Like he's not out here shooting 300 people. He's not a Call of Duty character. Like we know this is machine games.

[Barrett Courtney]

He's just a guy.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

He's just a dude that does shit. And like in this game you're just a dude. You're just a dude that does shit. Like you like find puzzles, you solve them, you get the relic, you do the thing right. And like you get points for it for like more knowledge based activity.

[Barrett Courtney]

And all the side stuff is so fascinating. Like there's a, there's a point later on in the game with the, the boat area where you're kind of like boating from place to place. There's a side quest that deals with like a former student of Indiana, just everything that they could do to like kind of fill out this world and have fun with it and have it loop back to the themes of the main game. I was like, fuck yeah, this is it.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Missed out on my top 10 mainly for like I think it's a great Indiana Jones game and I think it's a great video game. I don't see it as like a top 10 for me, but I like it's one of those things where I do appreciate the people that hold it up there, right? Because I do think that it is maybe one of the most bold games I've played of 2024. And like so bold that I came out of my preview last year, what November Ish. Maybe October ish. Came out on a preview and I was like, nuh. Like this thing is not working. I'm not feeling it. Like had so many complaints and then I'm playing the actual game and spending hours and hours into it, right? Like once you click, you get it and once it clicks, it does click and you are like, oh shit, I see what you're doing here. Right? And so shout out to Indiana Jones. Andy, what is your number eight?

[Andy Cortez]

My number eight little game called Astrobot.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Mark echoes getting up. We're going to talk about our number sevens but before we do, I want to talk about to you about patreon.com kind of funny YouTube.com kind of funny games as well as Spotify and Apple podcasts where you can get a Kind of Funny membership which allows you to get shows ad free. And speaking of ads, let us tell you about our sponsors.

[D]

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[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

And we're back with number seven. My number seven animal will.

[Andy Cortez]

Hold on, hold on.

[Barrett Courtney]

You gotta bring up your list just to see.

[Andy Cortez]

One sec, one sec. Bless. It's Mine too. My number seven.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Okay. Yeah, let's talk about it together. Yeah. Yo, Animal Wall.

[Andy Cortez]

Cool video game.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Very cool video game. Yeah. Like, that's one that I remember during like preview events, like summer game fests and like Day of the Devs and stuff, right? Like hearing everybody else talk about, I never got to do the hands on at any of those preview events, but I would always hear other people be like, yo, like, Animal. Well, this shit is like fucking raw. And I'm like, is it like, okay, cool, like, I'll believe you, whatever. But for some reason I just never got on that train. Like, I was never like, I guess enlightened by Animal until we got to release. And I heard Roger talk about it and I heard other people talk about it. I think I heard Andy as well talk about it and the words that y'all use to describe it. Even though I am Metroidvania is never like the strongest selling point for me. But like hearing you guys talk about the secrets and how cool it is and all this shit, the vibe, I'm like, you know what, man, let's do this. Like, let's hop into it and damn, did this game deliver. I love exploring this world. I love the process of like uncovering secrets and how, how I love the items you get that work as essentially abilities, like your Metroidvania abilities that unlock more of the map or more of the stuff you can do, right? And like the creativity that is in those items, right? Like the ways in which you can use them. So good.

[Andy Cortez]

I. I guess in a lot of these preview events, I had only ever seen Animal World being played by people. And it always looked cool visually, but until I started playing it, I could not help but think, man, this game must have previewed like shit. Like if I. I don't know how I could have sat down in that limited amount of time and gotten it and really seen the scope and vision of what Billy Basset was trying to do. But because every time I would see a demo, it was somebody running from that floating ghost cat dog or whatever and running away from it, and they would die. And they would do it again. They would die. And until you kind of understand what the game is doing, like, unless you're kind of sitting alone with this thing with your, your Steam deck on and you're kind of just like, no other distractions, it seemed like a game that would probably preview, not great, or at least I probably wouldn't take much away from if I were previewing it. But once I finally kind of dove into it and started understanding what the game was asking of me and started understanding the speaking its language. It. Man, it's. It's really a mesmerizing experience. It kind of just took over, and it's all I could think about. And I kept thinking about all of those little things in the world that once I figured out, holy shit, those things are interactive, what the hell else am I missing in this world? And it really just kind of opens your eyes. This game is. It's really, really miraculous that it really is. And it exists in the state that it does where Roger's talking to. It's like 39 megabytes or something ridiculous like that.

[Barrett Courtney]

Yeah. Because they made it in their, like, own engine and all that shit. Yeah.

[Andy Cortez]

The sound design, the visual quality of it all. I really, really enjoy this experience, and I didn't have it as high as Roger because I know that one of the moments that Roger experienced, he really, really loved, and I loved it as well. And I felt like the other three major experiences didn't quite live up to that level.

[Barrett Courtney]

Right.

[Andy Cortez]

So because I experienced that thing first, the rest of it was like, oh, it's done. Oh, dang.

[Barrett Courtney]

Yeah.

[Andy Cortez]

Was kind of hoping that there was more kind of excitement behind that, but I was still blown a little bit.

[Barrett Courtney]

Of, like, the freedom can fire back a little bit in terms of, like, how you want people to, like, ramp up maybe to, like, the. The bigger thing, which is. Yeah. Always interesting. Yeah. This was originally my number 10, and then we talked about it on Game of the Year. But that Astrobot Christmas level kind of reminded me of, like, oh, I really love Astrobot. So it kicked this game off of my number 10 spot. I didn't fall in love with it as. As much as everybody else, but I do really enjoy it for, like, the vibes of just how cozy but also unsettling it is. Yeah. As in terms of like, a Metroidvania without combat, I. I thought it was solid. I think the abilities are, like, the most fun things in terms of what you can do with the. The items that you find. But besides that, like, I wasn't blown away, but I also, like, wasn't upset. Like, oh. Like, it was originally part of my top 10 because it is. It is still a very, like, fun time to go through and discover everything and run away from a creepy ghost dog. And, like, the way that all loops back, like, there is, like, smart shit where I'm like, God damn, great game.

[Andy Cortez]

Yeah. In influent in the YouTube chat, it's got Some of the best light bulb moments I've experienced in gaming.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Yes.

[Andy Cortez]

100% that it reminds me of, you know, experiencing that with Cocoon and just going, oh, my God. God dang, that is some smart. And mainly just feeling envious. Like, man, I don't. I don't even know how you begin to think of how to make a puzzle like that.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Yeah.

[Andy Cortez]

You know, it's just so mesmerizing. How do you workshop.

[Barrett Courtney]

Yeah. Where you play a game and you're like, fuck, I'm so stupid. Yeah. Like, I would never be able to make this.

[Andy Cortez]

Yeah.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Barrett, what is your number seven?

[Barrett Courtney]

My number seven is the rise of the golden idol. Yeah, this was this. And so, yeah, if you. If you don't know the golden idol games, the first game called the case of the golden idol, which came out two years ago, I believe the best way to.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

I don't.

[Barrett Courtney]

I don't know how to explain these games.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

It's a point and click, like, puzzle.

[Barrett Courtney]

Puzzle game where you're kind of put into a moment in time. It's literally just a moment happening. And you essentially have what is like a crime scene. Like a crime scene. Someone most likely has just died. And you're trying to figure out what just happened in this moment. And so you're clicking on items. You're clicking on, like, newspapers worth words to collect words and names and all this stuff. And you essentially have, like, what is the, like, little book where you fill out like. Like, words and like, a journal or. No, no, no. Ad libs. It's like ad libs, but there's. Yeah, it's like mad libs. But there is, like, a very specific. Like, you're not just putting in random words. You have to figure out who this person's name is. Why are they watching this man dance right now? What is the kind of thing that they're taking away from all this stuff? And it. All the story circles around from both games, this golden idol and all the people who are surrounding it know what the golden idol does and how it's affecting all of these people on a personal level, what it's doing to the outside world. If this was the first game that came out this year, I think the first game would be higher for me personally. Case of the golden idol. Oh, yeah, I agree with that. I loved Case of the golden idol. We played both games in a weekend. Alyssa and I, like, sat down and she got really hooked into this game as well. It's so fun to, like, kind of have, like, your different, like, oh, go Click over here and maybe try to find like a word over here that we think is gonna loop back to this character who might have killed this other dude. I think the, the writing in or like the storytelling in the first game is a bit cleaner and I think the guessing game of the kind of bigger conspiracy that you're putting together over the course of the game I think is more fun. In the first game, this one it felt a bit. All right, we're going to kind of tell this story out of order and so it's hard for you to get a grasp on like who the characters you should be getting connected to and all this stuff that I wasn't as much of a fan of. Yeah, it's like a weird. Again, it's like Mad Libs but kind of Carmen San Diego kind of.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Yeah.

[Barrett Courtney]

Point click in 90s adventure.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

I really like this one. Like I played through Case and then I started playing through Rise and I beat Case and was obsessed with Case as I played through it. And then honestly, like I didn't get to finish Rise. I might still go back to it but I think by the time I got about halfway through Rise got a little bit burnt out because I enjoyed Case better for like the story of Case and like the style and what it was doing. And then also the art style of Rise didn't hit for me as much.

[Barrett Courtney]

It's gross. It's a little gross.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

It reminds me of like. Because like everything's kind of more animated. It reminds me of AI Art in a weird way.

[Barrett Courtney]

The way things move.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

The way things move. I'm like, is this. I like, I can't tell.

[Barrett Courtney]

I think it's like because the puppet.

[Andy Cortez]

Tool stuff, you know. Yeah.

[Barrett Courtney]

Like Case of the Golden Idol is supposed to reflect more of like the early PC point and click.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Yeah.

[Barrett Courtney]

Like where is this now? Now we're getting to like late 90/90s almost like PC point and click stuff which I vibed with it. It's definitely like gross and weird looking but I, I was into it. Yeah. And just like the story and like the, the meat and the sauce that they have and just like the, the drama around like all of these people each other over for this Golden Idol and what the lengths that they're willing to go to to get the job done and like the twists and turns again, how the story is told in the second game I wasn't as big of a fan of. But it all does come together at the end. Bless. So I would encourage you to, to go back to it because I Think it's a fun time.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

One day I think I will, but. Yeah. And that's the thing is I love the puzzles so much in the. In. In this game. Yeah. Right. Like, I. It is. You are playing the role of a detective, essentially. You are looking at a scene and you are putting together, like, every single detail matters. And that's the thing that, like, that's the best thing I can say about, like, how they approach the puzzle design is you are looking at, like, what's in the drawers. Who can. I, like, you can look what's in everybody's pockets.

[Barrett Courtney]

Yeah.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

And, like, everything tells the story of what just happened. And putting it together is such a satisf.

[Barrett Courtney]

You have to, like, find the names of the people that you saw from previous scenes just so you can, like, have that reminder of, like, okay, this is the person from, like, two scenes ago. And, like, all this stuff and the way they tell stories through the puzzles, I think is really, really smart.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

So we're up to number six. My number six. Balatro.

[Barrett Courtney]

Mark Echo's getting up.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Garret, what's yours?

[Barrett Courtney]

Mine is Batman Arkham Shadow. Oh, my biggest. Still my biggest surprise of the year. You know, there's that big reaction trailer from me reacting to the first Batman Arkham game in a very long time and it being a VR game. But again, that was more of my frustration with WB handling this franchise and universe. But camouflage really fucking proved me wrong on this one, and they really proved the stuff. And they really proved that they understand the Arkham verse in terms of not just gameplay mechanics and how to translate that to VR, but just the Arkham universe in storytelling and those characters. And I think the story of Batman Arkham Shadow goes in directions that I do think get a little predictable once you get in, like, the first couple of hours of, like, okay, I think this is the story that we're telling, but the way they write it, the emotional kind of script writing that they have throughout this game, it hits. And bringing back Roger Craig Smith, bringing back Troy Baker, I. I think they kept the tradition of having a different voice actor for Gordon because every Arkham game has a different voice actor for Gordon, which I find hilarious. And, yeah, it all just works. And then, yeah, translating detective vision, translating the really fun combat that we know, how good it feels on controller, and translating that to actually using your arms and fists is really cool and fun. And having this be a sequel to Arkham Origins, I thought it was really smart. What they were able to play with in terms of characters where some of these villains are at earlier on in their journey and your relationship to how some of those villains come to fruition in being who we know them as. Right. I, I thought it was really well done and I, I, it just, it reminded me of like oh God damn. I want more out of this era of the Arkham verse. The, the young Batman, the younger Bruce who's still learning, who still doesn't know, you know, his, his biggest enemies out there quite yet. And yeah, they, they got me with this one and there's, there's a sequence in this that's like they got to do.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

It's VR.

[Barrett Courtney]

They got to do this type of Batman Arkham sequence in here and they did and they pulled it off. The last thing I'll say is if WB is smart and makes another Batman Arkham flat screen game as the VR players call it, I think they could look at this game in terms of storytelling structure and gameplay structure to maybe break out of the Arkham mold that we have seen in four made mainline games. Right.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

I heard they call all of us flatties.

[Barrett Courtney]

Yeah, they call us flatties.

[Andy Cortez]

Yeah.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Flat screeners.

[Barrett Courtney]

But yeah, I can't say enough nice things about it. Like I said on the review, I compared it to a calzone. It is the, you know, it's pizza and if you like pizza, it's just pizza in a different form.

[Andy Cortez]

Cyborg TV says if WB is smart and says let me stop you right there, big man.

[Barrett Courtney]

I know they're idiots but you know, it let me dream a little bit. So yeah, that's my number six.

[Andy Cortez]

Do we think that we'll see this ever get adapted to? I mean I know it's like kind of meta.

[Barrett Courtney]

Yeah, they're a meta studio. I don't think though. I think this will always be a meta exclusive. Damn, that's a. Yeah. The Camouflage is a studio owned by Meta, unfortunately.

[Andy Cortez]

I just think about the amount of VR games that will kind of somewhat get adapted to flat screen world, you know.

[Barrett Courtney]

Oh, like adaptive for controllers. Yeah, yeah. No shot. I thought you were asking if like this will ever come to PSVR2 or something.

[Andy Cortez]

Watching just the gameplay of Batman freaking like ziplining towards. I was like oh man, I feel the motion sickness and I'm not even playing honestly.

[Barrett Courtney]

Like I, I get really motion sick in. That's another thing I want to shout out is the accessibility for the VR options as well of like the way you can bring in like the motion where it's like it brings it where it kind of like it's like a black or it's like a circle where you can see where you're going, but everything else is black when you're running around. And that helps me a lot, actually, like, moving around or actually just sitting in this chair and not getting motion sick. And like. Yeah, zip lining was a thing that I thought immediately, like. Or gliding. I was like, oh, you're gonna fucking throw up. But they do introduce enough here for people who are don't have their sea legs in VR that I think it works very well with. And, yeah, the last thing I'll say is that they looked a lot at Arkham Asylum. I feel like in terms of structure and played around with that structure a lot, that it's just like, God damn. Yeah, The Arkham series.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Let me tell you about a ripoff. All right, I'm on doordash and I'm on Thursday Calzone is where I'm ordering from.

[Barrett Courtney]

Thursday Calzone.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

And they have deals and benefits. Right? Bless.

[Barrett Courtney]

Let's get ribs.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

You can get 15. I'm not getting ribs for lunch. Is that a weird thing? Yeah. Yes, Ribs for lunch is weird.

[Barrett Courtney]

Yeah, ribs are weird for lunch.

[Andy Cortez]

Sounds disgusting to you right now?

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Like, how am I supposed to get any work done after I just ate ribs?

[Andy Cortez]

Yeah, that's crazy.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

You're not a child. Eat a rib and then be like, I fell asleep. I'm going to. Yeah, I'm going to fall asleep after eating ribs.

[Barrett Courtney]

You're going to fall asleep after eating calzone. I guarantee it.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

15% off, up to $2. What the are we talking about? And first of all, second of all.

[Barrett Courtney]

Like, 30 cents off.

[Andy Cortez]

I'm going to take a guess that Thursday Calzone Ghost Kitchen. And they'll call your place Thursday Calzone on Thursday.

[Barrett Courtney]

Tomorrow.

[Andy Cortez]

If he looks it up.

[Barrett Courtney]

Tomorrow it'll be Friday calzone.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

15 off under $30 is what it's saying, right? No, it says add $10 to apply. So if you spend more than $20, the discount stops working.

[Barrett Courtney]

Right.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

So it'll. It'll just be.

[Barrett Courtney]

You get $2 off.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Yeah, but that's the. That's though. Because, like, the cheapest calzone here is 30 bucks.

[Andy Cortez]

On Monday, Calzone will be.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

That's insane. Thursday, isn't it? So I wonder if they're only open.

[Barrett Courtney]

But also tomorrow it'll be just called Friday Kelzon.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

It is a virtual brand. Yeah, you're right.

[Barrett Courtney]

Listen, ribs blast.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

You and me. I'm not going to eat ribs.

[Andy Cortez]

$30 for calzone.

[Barrett Courtney]

Yeah, $30 for calzone is get off.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Of Thursday all meat Calzone that's crazy. I guarantee you it's. It's not worth it.

[Barrett Courtney]

Sorry. I. I could never look at you the same again. If you order a 30 the meat through that bread.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

12 all meat. Andy, what is your number? 6.

[Barrett Courtney]

6.

[Andy Cortez]

Number 6 is Dragon Age Veil. God. So, so much fun.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Such.

[Andy Cortez]

Such great combat. Really really enjoy the combat system and reminded me a lot of how much I love the Ghost of Tsushima combat system where some people found it. It's one of those different jokes for different folks things where if some people say it gets repetitive but I'm like I'm enjoying this so much that I'm just going to take on any combat encounter that I could find because I'm having a lot of fun with it it and partnering up with certain characters that have certain abilities because certain enemies are weak to certain elements. And you know, maybe. I know coming up we're going to be fighting a lot of certain enemies that are weak to fire. So maybe I should bring some fire squad mates with me or always having a squad made on my side. The homie Belar. I love her so much. She had her having an ability that sucks a bunch of enemies towards a vortex and then just. Just going ham on all these enemies. It's just so destructive and fun kicking dudes off of ledges. I'll never forget showing Greg the warrior class because I he picked Rogue much like I was gonna pick Rogue. But I enjoyed Warrior so much during the preview that I ended up going Warrior for my full playthrough and freaking love the shield gameplay of it and showing Greg how the shield toss worked and how you upgrade that. He was like oh this is. This feels real good. I was like yeah dog, I'm telling you. Warrior was just a freaking blast to play. But having a great cast of characters that I really grew to love and I wish that I was. I wish I had my mic recording for a lot of these gameplay moments that I was experiencing because I was recording gameplay but I didn't have my mic on and there was just a whole lot of like holy moments where I'm audibly yelling and shocked at at what some. Some of the story developments that were happening when it comes to either NPC deaths or just wild twists and turns. I really enjoyed the experience and I think it would have. It would have probably been like 10 or 9 on my list had the ending not been so goated. Like the. The final hour to maybe final hour and a half or two hours really kind of elevated and escalated the. The stakes and just did a lot of awesome cinematic stuff that. That felt. I don't know, Just really well realized. I was blown away by a lot of what was happening near the final moments. Awesome cutscenes. Just big. Sort of like if I were. If I were watching this movie in the theater, being like, oh my God, no way. That dude is whole. I loved it. Had a great time with it. Could not recommend it more if you're into any sort of, like, fantasy rpg. Amazing character creator. Loved it.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Nice.

[Barrett Courtney]

I really love that character creator. And that was the furthest I got into that game fair.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

I did play the first cutscene. I was like, this looks like an E3 demo. Like as I was. Or the first sequence, like, as I'm playing. I was like, this looks so good.

[Andy Cortez]

Yeah.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

My number five, Dragon Ball Sparking zero. A game that is like, that's definitely like a personal pick. It's one that, like, I stand by as far as the quality of it. But I think even more so hits so strongly for me because it is a dream video game. This video game should not exist. Like, in no world should Dragon Ball Sparking zero be the type of game that it is and also be the level of quality that it is for being a 3D arena anime fighter. That is harkening back to games that came out in the mid-2000s. Right? Like, I forget when Tenkaichi 3 came out, must have been like, oh, 7.

[Barrett Courtney]

7. Yeah.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

For Wii or something. Right? For PS2, where I played it. But this is one that, like, again, for if I'm to take myself back to when I was playing this as a kid, I was obsessed with Tenkaichi. Right? It started off with Budokai, played all the Budokai games, played the Tenkaichi games. And the thing that I loved about those games the most is how much I felt like I am a character in the anime. I'm flying around the Cell Games Arena. I am Goku and I'm transforming into Super Saiyan 2. And I'm punching Frieza in the face. Right? Like, I am living out these dreams of being these characters that I watched on screen. And Dragon Ball Sparking zero takes all of the things that made that game fun, which is essentially making two action figures beat each other up. They took that. They applied such a ridiculous amount of style to it. This game is amazing to look at. It is one of the best looking games that I've seen as far as presentation and art style. It looks fantastic. It plays so fluid. It plays incredibly right. Like they. They kept A lot of the same, like, types of moves, special moves, abilities, all that stuff. And it. A lot of it still clicks and works in 2024, which is amazing, right? They saw all the things that people loved about about these games back in the day, retained all of it and uplifted it. Love the story mode, love the what if scenarios, and I loved how they packaged it all. The one thing, like, there was a time, like, in the midst of this game coming out and me putting in tens of hours into it, I think there was one panel where as I was talking about it, there was a moment where I was like, ah, this might be my game of the year, dude. Yeah, this might be the game of the year.

[Barrett Courtney]

I remember that.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Yeah. And like, at the end of the day, it lands at number five because the online is shit. Like, there was a. There was a early bug that I'm has to patch it out by now, I imagine, where every match I would hop into, or not every, like a 50% chance of the matches I hop into, my control scheme would be fucked up because I played on, like, the classic controls. And that was a bug that I kept getting, like, online that ruined the experience quite a bit. But even more so than that, the game is just not balanced. In the years that I've been playing Tekken 8 and Street Fighter and other fighting games, right? Like, there's a level of expectation that I've come to have for online experience and balancing and the balancing and like, just the online experience is just so trash to the point where it's like I can't. I can't even give a bail, right? It's one thing for yesterday on kfc, me, Tim and Barrett were talking about Marvel Rivals and how, like, they're adding in all these characters. And, like, the conversation of balance came up and Barrett and fuck balance.

[Barrett Courtney]

Yeah, just have fun.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Bear and Tim are the mind of, like, fuck balance. And to some extent, like, I understand that I'm kind of with you guys for this game. It is so badly balanced where it's like, don't have online. Like, don't have. Don't let me match with random people online. If this is the level of, like, unbalanced, it is because I think, like, like when I'm just playing against. Against bots, if I'm just playing with my homie, like, you know, doing whatever, right? Like, the game shines, the game is fun, right? But you have that online mode and so there's a level of competency you gotta have if you're gonna have that and it's just really bad. But aside from that, right, like outside of that game's fun. Like way more fun than it should.

[Barrett Courtney]

It's gorgeous. I. I wish I was more into the combat. I can't wrap my brain around the combat. Yeah, it's more so like what was it? Dragon Ball Z? What was the 2D fighter Z? Oh, Fighters.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Fighters.

[Barrett Courtney]

Yeah. That game kicked ass. And it was like if there was a bit more like, I know that fighting game also had a bit more of a complex like kind of traditional fighting game, 2D type of thing. But like if there was that level in input for this 3D, like, oh man, I would have been all over it.

[Andy Cortez]

I'm hoping that there's maybe even mods out there that could make, you know, similar to when an older game comes out. And then they say, hey, here's a modern control scheme that you can download for this mod or whatever or something. Good. Because I struggled with that as well. Like the just flying around and getting around. Even though when I rented these games as a kid, that's how I played it. But it just couldn't. It's like when you where some people stop gaming once they introduce the right stick. Because your brain, some people's brains just could not handle. I have to control where I look as well. I can't do that. Nevermind. I'm good with video games. I feel like my brain can't do that with the older control schemes that they offered. But.

[Barrett Courtney]

And I was pitched on it as like, oh please, like armor. You'd pitch it on me like Armor Core six. I was like, yeah, let's go. I was like, wait, there's still a bunch of like, like what is it? Combos that I need to know. Like off the top of my head. I was like, oh man, if I.

[Andy Cortez]

Were to look, I know every developer puts all their love and heart and soul into these video games. But if I were to have an award for like the most love put into a video game, oh, it would be this tied with Astrobot in terms of like all the tiny details in Astrobot and all the tiny details put into this with all of this gigantic roster. And sure, some of them may just be color swaps and clones or whatever, but it's still wild that even that effort was put into the first place. Where if you show me this roster, I'd say, oh, that's the roster after two and a half or three years of development where you're constantly getting drops in dlc. Like no, that's.

[Barrett Courtney]

That's that's Launch.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Like, to be clear, right? Like, I forget the number. It's probably like 180 or something around something like that. And like, most of them aren't color swaps. Like, even the Go. The. I mean, there's a billion Goku's, but they all have their individual movesets. Like, they all have unique animations for their special moves, right? Like, there is a crazy amount of love put into it. And for people, like, people in chat coming at me for like, the balancing thing of what do you expect? Like, obviously, like, I didn't come into this game expecting Tekken 8 level of balancing thing. Don't get me wrong. Like, this is what I expected. It's still a flaw. Like, it's still a thing that's there. And like, that's still a thing that brings it down. Even if it's a. If I expect a game to be bad and it's bad, guess what? It's bad. Right?

[Andy Cortez]

If you hop into a feature of the game that is less than favorable and yeah, ruins the experience a little bit, you're like, ah, that stinks.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

And to be clear, I think there is a level of unbalanced that I think this game could still work online. My problem is that it's so bad that I don't find the online fun. And that is where the problem. Problem lies here. It's not that it's not like a perfect.

[Barrett Courtney]

You've been heard. You've been heard.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Thank you. Thank you.

[Barrett Courtney]

And we appreciate your opinion. We're listening to you.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Bear. What is your number five?

[Barrett Courtney]

My number five is Balatro.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Mark Echo. Is Mark Echo.

[Barrett Courtney]

I think you had a lower, right?

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

I had a lower.

[Barrett Courtney]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I. I don't know what else that is there to say about Balatro. Balatro is just. It became that comfort. I don't want to play a big story game on my tv. Let me now pull up my phone and just have fun going through and trying all the different decks in this roguelike card game where you're kind of learning what actual, like, poker hands are and all this stuff and just having fun with breaking the game.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

That. That.

[Barrett Courtney]

That's my. That's my favorite thing is like, all right, here's these set rules now. Here are all these jokers that you can collect and try to figure out fun combinations with all of these jokers that will help you get the most insane scores. I've never gotten like, the 1.10 where I'm completely breaking it because I'm stupid. But still, like, being able to master some of these decks and have a lot of fun of combining suits or prioritizing certain types of cards, whether it's like sevens or tens, and just having fun with it. Like. Like, it was easily, I think, probably. Probably over Pokemon TCG Pocket. My most played game this year because I own it on, like, three different things. And, you know, it can't be understated that Alyssa does not play games except for one game a year. She'll always find. And this was her game.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

She.

[Barrett Courtney]

She saw me playing Balatro on my phone. She was like, hey, how can. How can I play that? I was like, well, you'd have to spend 10 bucks to play it on your phone. She's like, I don't want to do that. I was like, well, they conveniently had sent us the physical copy on Switch. And I was like, all right, I'm going to bring this home so you can play it on your Switch. And, yeah, had a lovely time. There's so much you could say about it.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

But that's my thing is, like, I mentioned it was my number six, and I don't need to wax poetic on it. Right. We talked about it during game of the year, but it's the fact that the game is nearly like a perfect game, if not a perfect game. Right. Like, it's hard for me to find a flaw within Balachro. It's addicting. It's fun. I hope they make more. Like, I hope they release more jokers. I need to go back to it to see if there's any fun updates or anything.

[Barrett Courtney]

Yeah. I think my only criticism of it is that I wish the themed decks of, like, the collaborations that they're doing with, like, Cyberpunk, I wish those weren't just cosmetic. I wish they added in different things for those. For those decks. But I know there's already so much going on in the back end of how to make all of these cards work together that I. I get it. But when I. I was like, oh, let me, like, put. Replace this with Cyberpunk and whatever and didn't really change anything. I was like, ah, man, I was hoping for more.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Andy, what is your number five?

[Andy Cortez]

Never.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Oh, never. Never.

[Andy Cortez]

Tim. Really? Me on this one.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Never Freeze.

[Barrett Courtney]

That's crazy. It's crazy that he forgot about this game, really.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

I got tekken at number 10, so I'm happy.

[Andy Cortez]

It's unbelievable. Neva is a very small game by Nomada Studio, and they made Greece and Neva was their follow up. Incredible art style, beautiful story and it's a game that just super respects your time. It's a game that isn't gonna. It isn't going to try to outdo itself in a whole lot of moments when it comes to what the game mechanics are. It's all pretty simple. And you will occasionally get a new ability that you know, might help for a future boss or whatever. But. But this is less of a game that you're hopping into to experience an incredible Metroidvania or to experience just side scrolling precision jumping with incredible combat. It is way more of an experiential. All of that stuff is there as well and it's very competent and it's good. I wouldn't say it's amazing, but the package that it's in telling you this story about just like persistence and loss and it's so gorgeous and beautiful and made me tear up multiple times. Soundtrack is absolutely incredible. Whenever these big moments crescendo and every feeling in your body is just like going haywire, it's like, holy my. My synapses are just firing non stop. It's so gorgeous and it's maybe four hours long.

[Barrett Courtney]

Yeah.

[Andy Cortez]

Could not recommend it more. Please play Neva so studio Namada can keep on making experiences like this. It's lovely, it's gorgeous and more importantly, I think it. It's just one of those small concise experiences that is not going to drag out the. What? It isn't going to just like make you level up and do all this gamified stuff. I just love how simple it is in bare bones. But. But it's incredible and Tim really fucked me on that.

[Barrett Courtney]

If this came out in 2019 before I got Lulu, I would easily play this. But show me a dog or like a wolf in a trailer and it's a companion. I know where that shit's going.

[Andy Cortez]

It's just so.

[Barrett Courtney]

I'm not emotionally. I'm not emotionally ready to do that.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

No, I'll never play it. Fuck, dude, I did boot up. I played a little bit. It's cool. Number four. My number four is Astrobot. Any marks? Any mark echoes? No. Okay, let's talk about Astrobot being my number four.

[Andy Cortez]

It was number eight on mine it.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Was number eight and then bear. What was it for you?

[Barrett Courtney]

10.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

What a good game. Yeah. All right.

[Barrett Courtney]

If you listen to the Game of the Year episode, we talk about it a lot there.

[Andy Cortez]

So I think it was a kind of funny goatie.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Kind of funny goatie. Charming experience. Exactly my type of platformer. Aside from like, I like him a Little bit, like, more open, but, like, still, like, I fucking.

[Andy Cortez]

The zipper is great. Yeah, Good zipper.

[Barrett Courtney]

It's. It's a nice reminder of, like, hey, a studio outside of Nintendo's core team can make a fucking fantastic 3D platformer. And this genre of games shouldn't just be left to Nintendo. Like, other people can do this because we're such. In such an age where not a lot of studios try to do the 3D platformer in a big way.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Yeah.

[Barrett Courtney]

And I hope it brings in a renaissance, obviously, from the Astrobot team, but hopefully from some other studios to be reminded of where we came from.

[Andy Cortez]

I also just don't. I don't love that everything is a bot. I don't. Everything has. I don't love that everything has a face plate with blue eyes. Like, I just don't like it.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

This is what. This is the Gamescast I want to do with you.

[Andy Cortez]

Please.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

And maybe Tim to. Actually. Because Tim, his team doesn't love the Astrobot design. I want to pitch Astrobot 2 and talk about, like, the story and how do you approach the villain?

[Andy Cortez]

I want to see him in feudal Japan.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

I want to. I want to paint the road of Astrobot 2. Right. And, like, pitch it. Because, like, give me. What's the enemy of a robot?

[Andy Cortez]

Like a virus. I had a. I'll tell you what.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

I like that look. Virus Man.

[Andy Cortez]

At one point, Andy Cortez watched the movie Con Air when He was like, 10, and he had a. He had a character that he drew and created for a video game that he wanted to make when he was about 10 years old. I saw drawings of it. Characters name was Bleepo. Stupid little robot guy. Pretty much. It was just a Mega man ripoff.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Yeah. But the.

[Andy Cortez]

Who was the enemy? Cyrus the Virus. That was the boss and he had all of his virus underlings or whatever. But Cyrus the Virus was one of the characters in Con Air, the movie. So I just stole that name. But I just love the idea that, like. Like, he's a digitized dude that is, like, coming to take you out. It's just like, when I look at this game, it is so perfect in every way. And the. The. I just cannot stand these.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

We need a guy with a. With a mustache. All right, I'll be the one.

[Barrett Courtney]

You don't.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

You need a guy with a mustache to be the villain.

[Andy Cortez]

We need a humanoid to be the villain.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Yeah.

[Barrett Courtney]

He's gotta have, like, green fighting words.

[Andy Cortez]

We need Dr. Wily.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

We need a Dr. Wily. We need a Robotnik. You need, like, Something when I ask like Virus X X. When I asked for like the enemy of robots, a couple people in chat said Elon Musk. And I'm not saying because Elon Musk. We don't need a verbatim Elon Musk.

[Andy Cortez]

Right.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

But like, I could see like an inspired. Just a sorry ass man with money who was like in the tech super divorce as the villain of Astrobot.

[Andy Cortez]

We need a 13 kids.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

We need a dude. We need a dude with a mustache.

[Andy Cortez]

Yeah. But yeah, the game. The game's really good.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Really good game. Very good video game.

[Andy Cortez]

But I just don't. I don't like. Everything's got the. The Wally eyes. Eyes.

[Barrett Courtney]

It's cute.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Was the robot was like the main boss. The main guy. Green. I can see him.

[Barrett Courtney]

The alien dude.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Oh, alien. Yeah. He's the generic.

[Andy Cortez]

Sucks. What did they say his name was like Vermitax Uber.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

I don't know.

[Barrett Courtney]

Something stupid.

[Andy Cortez]

It was like. It was Nebula. There's no way stupid.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

They just stole that from Ratchet, I'm pretty sure. All right, Barrett, what's your number four?

[Barrett Courtney]

My number four? Nine souls.

[Andy Cortez]

Me too.

[Barrett Courtney]

That's how we got it on the fucking.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Liz.

[Barrett Courtney]

Let's go. That was my biggest surprise of like, I can. I did not fathom that making the top 10 for kind of Funny Dog. So happy.

[Andy Cortez]

One of the final. One of the. One of the last two bosses. You talked about how your final. The final boss was like the most final boss.

[Barrett Courtney]

That music and the amount of parrying that you have to do and like the move sets in that so sad.

[Andy Cortez]

It was amazing. It was incredible. But the fight before that has you again because the. The sound effect and the satisfaction you get from. From nailing a Perry, it's just like a. Like a little sound effect. And the. There's an enemy that teleports on both sides of you blessing and shoots projectiles at you and shoots them from both sides and keeps teleporting back and forth and you have to go ding, ding, ding.

[Barrett Courtney]

But it's also raising you up.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Like it's using.

[Barrett Courtney]

You're using that for traversal as well. So like when they're up in, you could strike them. Nine Souls is a fucking awesome man. Suhei Yoshida's game of the year.

[Andy Cortez]

Going to the one zone and re like, you know, these little. You know, the. The dudes with the big hammers, you know, starting. You're like, oh, I have my charge parries. Yeah.

[Barrett Courtney]

Like now I can parry. Yeah. The Metroidvania design, I think is really incredible in terms of mechanics that you're unlocking through it. Like I said on Game of the Year, the Combat is just 2D Sekiro. It's the game that got me to play it. Sekiro. It's very, very satisfying and how you're able to integrate defense with offense. It's awesome and a really incredible story, which I was not expecting. Yeah, you have to read a lot, but once you give your like, let yourself kind of give into what the story is about. Like I said on Game of the Year it is about leadership and them coming to terms with their responsibility of the people that they lead in terms of crisis. And this very much was one of two games that felt like a reaction to the Pandemic.

[Andy Cortez]

Dude. But I mean, just any time you are dealing with these characters and their backstories and seeing a glimpse of as to what you went through. Because if you're not reading all of the lore throughout the game, these may just seem like random ass bosses. And of course, you know they'll talk to you every once in a while and you go, okay, you're bad because of X, Y and Z. But then after beating them, seeing their backstory and go, man, that is just the most perfect dark souls tragic tragedy that you could experience. I love it, loved it, loved it, loved it. This game rocks so much.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Yeah, this is in the Prince of Persia camp for me where it's like, man, if I can go back and delete a game and then play a different game, like I don't know what game I'll delete to play Nine Souls, but I'd find it compared to last.

[Andy Cortez]

Year where, you know, one of the videos I put out, one of the VOD titles I put was, I think it was like, don't. Why play Silksong? We have Blasphemous or why wait for Silksong? You have Blasphemous too. This is the Metroidvania this year. Like this is the one that is going to really, really stun you if you care about story and awesome NPCs with great character development and just kick ass combat. Yep. Number can't grind though.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

I'll say that.

[Barrett Courtney]

Grind for money, but that's pretty much it.

[Andy Cortez]

Yeah, you're not really ever going out killing a bunch of dudes, sitting back down and suddenly you have more souls that you could level up with. The leveling up system was a little slower and tougher, but yeah, still damn good.

[Barrett Courtney]

I think that's a fair criticism.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Yeah, we're down to our top three. My number three, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.

[Andy Cortez]

Mark Echo's getting up.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Here. What's your number three?

[Barrett Courtney]

My number three is Persona 3 Reload. Yeah, it's one. It's a weird contradictory thing, right? With this being my third favorite game of the year, but it is Reload as a remake that is solidified. Persona 3 as an entity is my second favorite game of all time for. It's contradictory, I know, but like looking at.

[Andy Cortez]

Say that one more time.

[Barrett Courtney]

So like, Persona 3 Reload is my third favorite game from 2024, but what Reload does as a remake has solidified Persona 3 just as an entity, without the remake, without like, just as a whole as my second favorite video game of all time. Like I was already in love with the original Persona 3 or Fez, what have you. And I kind of looked at Reload for my top 10 this year as what it does as a remake. And I think it's. It's an amazing remake. I think what they were able to do with like the voice cast, like who they cast as these characters after so long, after being so beloved by this fandom, I think was very impressive. And kind of just seeing it get a just the touch up it needed to be able to live longer in terms of conserving video games, I think was really important. And just adding little bits to combat that doesn't feel too easy like a Persona 5 Royal, but. But adding those modern day elements that Persona 5 really introduced to make the flow of combat feel a bit smoother, to make the grind of playing throughout the entire game, going throughout 250 levels of Tartarus feel way quicker. I would still say like the biggest thing against it is the structure of Tartarus, how many levels are going up and all that stuff. But it's hard to reimagine that without completely taking it away because that is such a core of what the game is. And yeah, like replaying this when we did just also just kind of broke me in a way. We talked about it a little bit on the review and like, I don't think we did a spoiler cast, but a lot of this game is about death and like I had played it before, so I knew a lot of the stories that we were going to get in terms of confidants, in terms of like the main theme of the game. And we were reviewing this in a time where a close friend of ours or like a friend of ours from the kind of funny best friend commuter we knew was about to pass soon. Nobishin who we've known for a very long time. And it was hard to play through this game knowing what Nobishin was going through. There's a character in this game who's a confidant or whatever you call him in Persona 3 that is terminally ill, and they do know they are going to pass soon. And it just, it was, it was tough to get through this game again, but I think it came out for me when I needed it most. And yeah, a lot of this game is replaying it, even though as a remake, I think it's a, like a 9 out of 10. Amazing. I think just seeing this story all come together again, especially when I replayed it, it is like, really solidified. It's like one of my favorite and most important games for me, me.

[Andy Cortez]

So one of those games that I, you know, I put on my hating ass hater cap after that. Lovely. Those lovely words from Barrett about our good friend Brian Nabishin, the homie. Yeah, I, I look at that game and I go, man, that visually, that looks so much better than Metaphor.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Yeah.

[Andy Cortez]

You know, like, I, I. And I think it's an acquired taste. I think, like, when Metaphor gets nominated for best Art Direction, I'm like, House way, like, you know, like, I think this looks so much. I love looking and more appealing. And I think it's not only just the maybe it's just the setting.

[Barrett Courtney]

Was Metaphor in Unreal. I forget. I know. Reload was. I, I forget if Metaphor actually made the jump to.

[Andy Cortez]

It just looks awesome. Everything we saw there is like, oh.

[Barrett Courtney]

It looks very clean. It looks very. Like it's slick. Yeah, it's very slick. Yeah. And that's, that's like the, like, Persona 3 established the style of Persona, and like, the way that they were able to kind of adapt that to modern day was very impressive.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Yeah, this was my number eight. And this was a game that, like, kind of helped define my 2024 as far as video games where it came out in February and I started playing it then I probably played maybe 20, 30 hours before, like, I switched. I was Tekken and this were like my back and forth for like a good month or so and then put it down and a few months later picked it up and then put it down in a few months later. Like, I was playing about 10 to 20 hours at a time of this game throughout the year.

[Andy Cortez]

This was the game that made you say, no more 80 hour RPGs.

[Barrett Courtney]

Yes.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

While we're there. Right. A new declaration for the new year 2025.

[Andy Cortez]

Give me was one chat.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Don't ask me for. All right, stop. Stop texting me or stop you guys on my number. Stop DMing me and stop being in my replies talking about bless. When are you gonna beat this rpg? When you beat that rpg, bro.

[Barrett Courtney]

Just say it to me.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

I don't say it to my face. YouTube. Barrett, I don't have the time. All right. What you think it's easy to find 80 hours? I don't have 80 hours laying around. And so like between Persona, between metaphor, between these long ass RPG's. God damn. Stop asking me for shit. All that said. Wow, what a game.

[Andy Cortez]

It's a beautiful game.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

What an ending. Like when I tell you the ending put this thing on my top 10 so hard. Like. Like that game knows how to rap.

[Barrett Courtney]

That's why I was trying to push you for that ending. Because I knew that ending was gonna like it was gonna hit you. I think in a lot of ways that it hits a lot of people. Like I said in my Persona video essay, like that game is so much about the fear of death and being able to let go of the fear of death is choosing how you want to live with no and choosing to live with no regrets at the end of your life. It's why I have this Persona 3 tattoo it that that means a lot to me. Like burn my dread as a theme.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Yeah.

[Barrett Courtney]

For the entire game is just. It hits in so many ways.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Probably my favorite song in a video game this year with color. Your night.

[Barrett Courtney]

Oh call your night is such a Bob 2024.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

And yeah like again talking about like playing it throughout the year. Whenever I would play pick this game back up. It would always just be the happenstance of it is the exact season that I'm in. Right. Like I when I'm playing this game in like March or April. I It is March, April in the game. When I pick it up in the summer. Guess what I am playing through the summer sequence. It was crazy. Like playing this on getting to Christmas on Christmas day as I'm playing this video game and like it pretty much, yeah. Being the game that always persisted throughout the year. It was this in Tekken and like you know you talk about the relationships you make in this game. I think there is like a large middle portion of the scene that gets kind of slow and a little bit dry.

[Barrett Courtney]

Yeah. You definitely feel the age a little bit.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Felt it definitely. But. But you definitely still they'll have those moments where it's like damn. And like this was one where I feel like whenever I Play a Persona game, there's always something that's, like, a damn that hit me, right? And, like, for me, it's the same character that you're talking about as far as, like, there's a character who knows that they're dying. And I found that character very late, and I had, like, the moment of the. You can only hang out with that character on one day out of the week.

[Barrett Courtney]

Yes.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

And I did the math as I was, like, zeroing in on finishing the game, and. And the last week I could hang out with that character was, like, one week too short for me to actually finish that social link. So I, like, did the ninth one, and then knowing, like, oh, this is my last time I'm gonna see this guy. I'm not gonna get to.

[Barrett Courtney]

Did you ever, like, look up on YouTube, like, how that ends? Oh, my God.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

But it was, like, such a heartbreaker of, like, what you're able to, like.

[Barrett Courtney]

Leave behind, even, like, the. The story he has of the highs, the ups and downs of knowing that you're going to die soon and what. That you're able to. And grappling with what you leave behind after you die.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

But, like, for me, I think that's the magic of video games that I got to the ninth one, and, like, the heartbreaker was that I'm like, yeah, I'm not gonna get to finish with this guy. Right? Like, I'm not gonna get to finish the story.

[Barrett Courtney]

And I know, like, a lot of.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Stories that he's not gonna get.

[Barrett Courtney]

A lot of people, like, have problems with the calendar system. I. I like it for that. I like that. It's like, you know, you're just naturally playing. You're naturally hanging out with things, and you have moments like that that might still hit for you, even though it's a mechanic that's preventing you from doing something.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Andy, what's your number?

[Barrett Courtney]

3.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

3. Question mark. 3.

[Andy Cortez]

80S. 2. Early access.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Oh, I feel like we should make a rule.

[Andy Cortez]

Like, I think we need to make a rule. No early access of DLC and early access. Because, like, I'm of the mind with the same way that we, you know, when. When old. When old Jeff Keighley, you know, hits us up and it's like, time for voting. Like, I'm of the mind that if. If you tell me I can't do it, totally fine. But if I can, I'm not going to not shout out some of my favorite gaming experiences.

[Barrett Courtney]

I mean, we did have a conversation as a voting group of what we would allow. I personally am against early access, but I kind of had to take that loss there a little bit because I think more people are okay with early access, it being new content throughout the year. Yeah, if, hey, if it was one of your favorite experiences of this year.

[Andy Cortez]

I mean, it was, but, you know, will I put it on next year's list as well?

[Barrett Courtney]

To put it.

[Andy Cortez]

I'm not gonna not give it points and give it its shine. Do I want this game to climb up as high as possible?

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

It's the weird thing where, like, I didn't. I didn't include it because it's early access.

[Barrett Courtney]

Same.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Right. Because like, for me, if I'm talking about the best games of the. Again, this is all personal, so it really doesn't matter. But like, when I'm thinking of like, the best games of the year, I'm not gonna put a game that, like, didn't. Doesn't have like a finished ending above an Astrobot or like a game that I feel like is, oh, this is like a complete thing. Because I don't know, if it was a 1.0, then I wouldn't do that. Right? Like, if a game came out in that state in 1.0, I'm not gonna be like, oh, and that's better than XYZ thing. But I digress. I think for a personalist, yeah, like, fucking Hades 2 is fucking awesome.

[Andy Cortez]

Oh, yeah. I mean, it. It's number three on mine. I freaking love this video game. And I will continue to love it. And I just cannot stop playing it. I'm about 67 hours now in this video game. Crazy. I can't stop playing it. And there are so many early access games that I always promise I'll eventually get back to when that new 1.0 or whenever that new gigantic content drop happens. And I. It's so rare for me to actually do that. But because this game is so easy to consume and doesn't require a whole lot of like, oof. If I want to play this game, I kind of have to be in the right mental state. It doesn't really require that. It is as fun as any sort of arcade game could possibly be. And a game that requires such little of your mental state and such little. Such a little amount of, like, your mood depends on whether you can enjoy hades. A lot of games fall into those little niches for me. Hades 2 does not. I can enjoy it and experience it whenever and however I'm feeling. Whatever console I'm on, whether I'm on my PC or my Steam deck, it's Lovely. And I will continue to sing its praise as much like everybody has because the game just kicks ass and Super Giant destroyed it again. And yeah, this is going to be an all timer, but if all of us came together and said no more early access and I'd be like, totally fine, I won't put on this.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

All right, my number two metaphor Refantasio.

[Barrett Courtney]

Mark Echo's getting up.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Barry, what's your number two?

[Barrett Courtney]

My number two is a thousand times resist. Yeah, this was a indie game that I did not really know about until reviews came out. Shout out to friend of the show Natalie, who reviewed this and like sung this game's praises, I think to a level that a lot of us in the kind of like podcast video game podcast circles were like, oh, we got to pay attention to this game. But yeah, a really cool at the start, sci fi visual novel quote unquote, where you live in a society of clones and you're all cloned after this one girl who is seemingly the only survivor of a world ending event. And you start off the game killing the girl that you're all cloned after. And from there you kind of go back in time to see what is the context of all of this and where the story goes. I don't think you could ever like starting it up ever really imagine what's going on here. But the themes and the story go in so many different directions that I think is very impressive. I think the main one is how the game uses like kind of systems of power and people who are like wanting to gain power through big traumatic societal like ending quote unquote events to gain power and using that almost as a interesting foil and mirror to generational trauma and what it's like to be a mother and what it's like to oppose something that has come before you. And yeah, I think it's a fantastic game. I think it is a must play. I think it's the story, I think is going to be looked back at as like, kind of like one of the more important stories in the 2020s told. This is the other game that I think is very much kind of of an analysis, at least my personal top 10 of the pandemic. And what kind of people in power like used to kind of gain from that. There's also commentary about the Hong Kong protests that's used to just talk about power, Familial strife, man, familial strife. But also just power dynamics, macro and micro that I think is all told very well. And all of these different threads are Told in such impressive ways that they can unravel all at the same time. And they all hit on like the same emotional level that it doesn't feel jarring. Like not just the story of the game, but how it's told, I think is like one of the most impressive things to come out of 2024.

[Andy Cortez]

This game without any of its analogous themes would be just one of the coolest sci fi stories anyway. But because of all the stuff that you can like thematically relate to, I think is so awesome. And this, this was really close to making my top 10. It hit a. Near the end. I felt like I was playing about seven different epilogues. Yeah. But as I'm playing those, these, you know, they're not even epilogues, they're just part of the game. But I always felt like the game was about to end and then a new thing would start. I'd be like, oh man, this game's still going. And then I'd be like, but then never mind, I don't care because it's really good. And, and what they're still telling. The story that they're still telling is still incredible. And this new sort of thing that's been unwoven here. How am I. What, what is happening here now? Because I'm so interested in how they're telling it. If I was a billionaire, I would have. I'd give this developer more money to just make the game better looking and just cut. But like that's just all personal preference because I think it's still. So it's obviously a very small team.

[Barrett Courtney]

Who worked on this and made up of people who have never made a game.

[Andy Cortez]

Yeah. It's not the most polished looking thing by any means. But one thing I wish they would have done a bit more with is because gameplay wise there's not a whole lot there.

[Barrett Courtney]

Right? Yeah, it's like, it's, it's most, for, for the most part a walking sim and you're kind of exploring, putting clues together and solving very, very like type story puzzles.

[Andy Cortez]

And, and because of the character you're playing, you have this technology that allows you to boom. You hit your left hand, you use your left hand to hit a thing and you go back in time or at a different place or you go.

[Barrett Courtney]

You'Re in the same like area but you go into like a different point in time in that same area.

[Andy Cortez]

And I wish that they use that a couple more times in the game. Similar to like the, the Titanfall 2 level, whatever it's called. Like you have that Moment near the beginning of the game where you see a door kind of blocked off. You're like, how do I get in there? There doing change the time. Oh, it's open now. Oh, cool. That's opening up here. And I thought there was going to be more, I thought they're going to be more elements like that. And that was, I think, like, maybe the only moment that that mechanic exists. You're still constantly going forward back in time, but you're not really ever playing with the environment around you. So I kind of wish there was a bit more there, but it's still just like, I, I, I would love to see this get adapted into like something like, it's just that's my thing.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Is like such a creative story. I have it as it's my narrative of the year. Right middle of the air. Like, that's what I had. Smiles.

[Barrett Courtney]

Yeah. My number two.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

And like I have it at my number 10 because the gameplay stuff for me doesn't hold up in it. Right. Like, it's one of those things where it was a struggle, like I had to push myself through this game. Like there are parts where you had to find things in like the hub.

[Barrett Courtney]

Area, but the hub area, hub areas.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Very big and interconnected in really weird ways. And like, there's not a strong enough.

[Barrett Courtney]

Map to like, apparently a map was updated into the game.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

And I even still, I think even after the map was updated, I think I still had more to play it. And so like, but like, even still, right, Like, I do think that there's so many gameplay things. I'm with Andy as far as the places that you can take it. But regardless, I think the story stuff is so strong and so interesting and so very well told that it uplifts it so much.

[Barrett Courtney]

And I, I hope other devs look at this studio and are inspired of what they can do to the storytelling in the video game medium and how it feels so much like we're still scratching the surface in that respect.

[Andy Cortez]

Yeah. Yeah. Really rock that. It was, I think it was like 12 or 13 on that list.

[Barrett Courtney]

So close.

[Andy Cortez]

So close.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Andy, what's your number two?

[Andy Cortez]

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Let's talk about it. That was my number three. I don't think it was on Barrett's list.

[Barrett Courtney]

It, it. I thought about it for a while.

[Andy Cortez]

I think it's my. I, I just think it's my favorite combat system in a, in a very long time. I love the strategy that goes along with it to kind of interweave, you know, fast twitch pairing. If you want to play that way. I just love the strategy that goes behind it, But I was just blown away by the level of quality across a lot of different aspects, whether it's storytelling or the amount of love put into. Even though I didn't vibe with a lot of the side activities, there's still just so much love poured into every kind of corner of this world. And I think, by far, this one felt like there was a. A much larger leap in character performance and character development. And maybe that's just, you know, maybe just whatever they're telling a Part one. There wasn't a whole lot of space for things to develop, but I was just a lot more impressed by the performances that we got here. And I just. I don't know, I just really enjoyed the experience. It was just a lot of fun. Had some. Had some really wild surprises. And, yeah, I just don't. I don't even. The Kate Sith level that nobody liked. I didn't suck, so I never hated it. You know, I hate that. I think I. Once I realized, like, all right, enough of these, like, segues or whatever, and. And back when I was a stupid idiot dude and was like, I've been ignoring Queensborough this whole time, and now you're gonna make me play on this boat? This is stupid.

[Barrett Courtney]

I think, huh? You could skip it.

[Andy Cortez]

I think, yeah, yeah, yeah. But I was just like, all right, I'm gonna have to learn this thing. Everybody loves it. Obviously, you fall in love with Queen's Blood. I think the story just goes in a lot of different wild places that can be super confusing. And, yes, I watched the Maximilian dude video, and it certainly helped out my experience a lot more, but was still shocked with how much I was gleaning from the story as I was going along. As somebody who. Who never experienced seven to begin with, like, who's only ever seen memes and has only ever. Who's only ever sort of been aware of Final Fantasy VII as a pop culture icon without ever knowing what the full story is. I was still kind of surprised that by the end of it, me and Mike are like, oh, okay, so is it. So that. Is that what's real? All of that stuff I really enjoyed. I know it can get obtuse and kind of frustrating for people who want. I know Bear didn't love the ending for me, it's still, like, kind of landed for me quite a bit because I.

[Barrett Courtney]

It's not even that it's obtuse. It's just from, like, a. Storytelling, like, emotional and plot Standpoint, it feels like a coward's way out of how they decided to end that game. And that's all I'll say, because I don't want to, like, spoil, but it felt like a. I can't choose between one or the other, so let's choose neither. And it's like, what the are we doing here?

[Andy Cortez]

Oh, no. I, I, I really, I really loved it. And yeah, I just, it was just one of those sort of, of what an achievement, what an accomplishment to have this big of a game be turned around that quickly and still have such emotional resonance.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Yeah, that's the crazy thing for me is that, like, this game, it's almost the opposite of Thousand Times Resist, where, like, Thousand Times Resisted is a team that made a game and they had the resources that they had and, like, told a story that was a banger. Whereas this game feels like it has, like, the most budget in Triple H. Aa. Triple A. Triple A is just thrown at it. Right. Of like, damn, these characters look amazing. Damn, these environments are big and beautiful. Damn. Like, there's so much voice acting. So much, like, so many set pieces.

[Barrett Courtney]

So much everything.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

So much everything. And I think to have, like, that level of AAA, but also still retain a level of, like, magic and charm and character stuff that, like, really hits. I again, this game felt like being in a theme park. This game felt like, you know, playing something that, like, Disney made. It felt bigger than life in so many of its moments. And like, yeah, like, for a game to, like, have that level of prestige and that level of money around it, but still, like, be able to hit me and, like, you know, have me feeling like. I don't know. The first time I felt watching. I don't know what's a good Disney movie. Aladdin. The first time I felt watching Aladdin.

[Barrett Courtney]

Hercules.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

I never watched Hercules.

[Andy Cortez]

Aladdin's better.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

You have to be real for this.

[Barrett Courtney]

Lion King. Yeah, Just like, getting immersed in a world and story.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Like, what's one of those ones? I can show you.

[Andy Cortez]

You the one? Yeah.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

I think Aladdin is probably the good one. I love Aladdin. You're thinking Hercules Brink number one.

[Andy Cortez]

Brink is a good.

[Barrett Courtney]

Sorry, really quick. Just because people get upset whenever I talk about the ending of the game, I think, yes, it can be a thing, can be a part of a trilogy and be building up, but it can still be bad within the context of just itself. And that's just my personal take. We don't have to agree. We don't have to agree. And it's fine. I cannot like the ending. And you can really love the end.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

You can't. With the channel. You can't.

[Barrett Courtney]

It fucking annoys me every time.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

I feel you. I feel you. Listen, somebody earlier said I'm a bad gamer and I want to see this and I hope you never come back. You CJ Splitson.

[Andy Cortez]

We love. We love you, cj.

[Barrett Courtney]

Oh, and also I can love Rebirth and hate it at the same time. I had a lot of fun with that game, but still have a lot of complaints about it.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Watching you, CJ. Our number ones, Tekken 8 is my number one again. I'm not going to wax poetic because I already have it. Got it. Got into our top 10. God bless. Let's fucking go crazy. Another game that defines my 2024. It all throughout the year. Went to Evo. Made friends because of it. Right. Got real good at it too. Like, come fight me in Tekken 8, you know, played against Xavier woods and Kofi Kingston.

[Barrett Courtney]

I hear from Chad, though, that you're not a real gamer.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Fuck CJ Splitson. All right. Come fight me in Tekken 8. Coward.

[Andy Cortez]

Love you, CJ.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Love you, C. Actually, no, Andy loves it. But a game that also just has so much good production to it, right? Looks incredible, story's great, plays incredible. Right. I feel like checks every box of what makes a good game a good game game. What makes a good fighting game a good fighting game in terms of like, amount of content that's in it and how they uplift that content. What makes a good action a good action game. Right. Like mechanically, it's so sound.

[Barrett Courtney]

Yeah.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Shout out Tekken 8. That's my game of the year. Thank you. Thank you, Bear. Corny, what about you?

[Barrett Courtney]

My game of the year is Metaphor. Re Fantasio. We. We talked about it already for kind of funniest game of the year. I'm happy that it made the list. And yeah, there's not really much else to say. We talked about it so much. I just miss my boy Basilio. So that's. That's really all I want to say. And I also want it to, you know, it's proof because there's a small group of people who are like, oh, it's not fair that Bear gets to vote and he counts the vote. What if he cheeses the vote? The fact that Final Fantasy 7 rebirth was higher than metaphor on our top 10 should be proof enough that I don't fuck with the vote. So anyways, Metaphor is a fantastic game. It feel. It truly feels like a grand adventure. It truly feels like this Generation's Final Fantasy 7 in terms of just exploring an entire world and getting lost in it and falling in love with every corner of it. The dungeon crawling is really fun and satisfying. The gameplay is on a level that I couldn't have imagined for a kind of Persona. And the level of depth to tactics and all that stuff, the characters, story, all that, truly wonderful. The art direction, truly fantastic. I Understand that Persona 3 Reloaded looks cleaner, but I think 3 Reload, I feel like is a little bit uninspired in terms of art direction compared to Metaphor and Track of the Year. I'll say it. That battle thing.

[Andy Cortez]

It'S one of those games that I. If all of the world came together and was like, this is the game of the year, I'd be like, yeah, makes sense. Yeah, I could. I could tell from what I thought.

[Barrett Courtney]

And gamespot individually giving it their games of the year was like, crazy.

[Andy Cortez]

Could just tell that the level of quality was out of this.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

And like, that's the thing is, I love that 2024, when we're talking about the two sides of the game of the Year. Year it is. Metaphori, Fantasio, and Astrobot. We got it right in 2024, guys.

[Barrett Courtney]

We got it right.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Pack it up.

[Andy Cortez]

All right.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Good year. And also my number two. Love it for all the reasons Barrett said.

[Barrett Courtney]

Yep.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Andy, what's your number one?

[Andy Cortez]

Elden Ring. Shadow of the Erdtree. Another rule broken. Another dlc. My second DLC on my list, I think. Dlc.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Second DLC in early three, if you count the early Access the hour dlc.

[Barrett Courtney]

It's fine.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Anything on his list? Where's Deadlock on there A game that doesn't exist yet.

[Andy Cortez]

I mean, I have my. I have my Olis. If you want my Olis. My outside looking in.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Beep. Oh, instead of honorable mentions, you're outside looking ins. I like that. It's.

[Andy Cortez]

It's a Leitar thing.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Yeah.

[Andy Cortez]

Elden Ring, I mean, I don't know. Just it. It hit surpass every sort of expectation I could have had for it. I still think the. I still think that initial gameplay trailer is one of the most hype things ever.

[Barrett Courtney]

Seeing all the new different combat types and.

[Andy Cortez]

And it really is not just like the. Not just the locations of the combat, but it's like those. Those first lines read by Ansbach and him saying like, Mikola, the kind, blah, blah, blah. It's truly terrifying. I forget the exact words, but it's just like one of the coolest line deliveries you've ever heard in your life and set the stage for a really wild adventure that I would have never expected. Because so much of fromsoftware video games are happening not or they're happening around you. And this one really felt like it was happening with you. Yes. You've experienced so many fromsoftware games where you are uncovering history and uncovering these ruins of a past and an enemy. The boss you fight has been sitting there for billions of years.

[Barrett Courtney]

They've already gone through their character arc.

[Andy Cortez]

They were great once and now they are broken. Or they were evil once and now they're trying to become worse or whatever the hell the case may be. But the idea that this game felt so kind of happening in real time with you with these side characters and having those side characters, ultimately once that curse is broken from Miquella where everybody's like just in love and being chill and that curse is broken and suddenly all of these side characters are like, like, hey, I think they're trying to me over and, and having that all sort of, having that all sort of come to a head in that one moment where.

[Barrett Courtney]

And sometimes play out differently depending on like what you do.

[Andy Cortez]

Dude, it's just so cool, man. It was just awesome. Kind of feeling like you were having this investigative moment in real time which just never happens in these games and you'd come across these NPCs and be like, oh dude, have you seen where there so and so is at? We're. We're on the heel. We're hot on the heels of Mikaela and finding out what the story was. You know, in terms of what are they doing with Radon's body. I mean I used to work for him and I'm not really with them anymore but like they're doing some up stuff to his dead body and I wanna, I need to find out what's going on. Just awesome characters, cool story that's happening. And again, great combat. Adding all sorts of new weapons with new spells and jaw dropping locations that you could only get to in the most, most unspeakable ways.

[Barrett Courtney]

Crazy ways.

[Andy Cortez]

Yeah, dude, like you know the swamp dude getting to like the Cerulean coast and just being like, whoa, where the did this come from?

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Yep.

[Andy Cortez]

I, I don't know. It's just, it's why I play video games. It is the, the, the feeling of wonder and discovery and having this new adventure at every turn. I, I love this video game and this and this developer so much.

[Barrett Courtney]

It was probably my like 12 or 13. I want to thank it for getting me Back into Elden R Hole to prepare for the DLC and getting. So catching the Elden Ring bug that I platinumed it.

[Andy Cortez]

No. Holy. That's crazy.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

It was crazy playing through this DLC and like, knowing what the story of Elden Ring was because I finally watched the Vati video videos and being like, damn, that's crazy. Getting to that, getting to the final boss. I mean like, ah, damn, that's wild. I wouldn't have expected that.

[Barrett Courtney]

That's kind of wild.

[Andy Cortez]

Yeah.

[Barrett Courtney]

The. The way they tell stories specifically in the. The dlc I think is. Is really fun and I think, think really like, so different. It's so different. It steps up. I. I think what Elden Ring was, I think also level design. I. I feel like they kind of looked back at more of the Souls level design and we're like, how do we implement that on an open world scale? And made the shadow of the Erdtree area so much more interesting to explore. So much different around every single corner. When people kind of question of like, should this be considered? It's like, I think it's different enough from Elden Ring that it should be considered. Considered for what it does.

[Andy Cortez]

Incredible experience.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

And there you have it. Those are Game of the year top tens individually.

[Barrett Courtney]

I know we're going long. Do we want to just quickly read off our personal topics?

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Read them off because I really gotta go. Yeah.

[Barrett Courtney]

Yeah. My number 10 was Astrobot. Number nine. Thank goodness you're here. Number eight, Indiana Jones. Number seven, Rise of the Golden Idol. Six. Batman. Arkham Shadow. Five, Balatro Four. Nine souls. Three percent of three. Reload two 1,000 times resist. And number one, metaphor number 10 was.

[Andy Cortez]

Oh, you know what? I'm gonna go deadlock. Marvel rivals 1000 times resist. Giant Dogma 2, Witchfire. Those are my Olis. And then my top 10 was Shadow of the Erdtree. Or sorry, number 10 is Final Shape. Number 9, Prince of Pearl. Lost Crown. Number 8, Astrobot. Number 7, Animal. Well. Number 6, Dragon Age. Vale Guard. Number 5. Never. Number 4, Nine Souls. Number 3, Hades 2. Number 2, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. And number 1, Elden Ring, Shadow of the Erdtree Tree.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

My honorable mentions are Ellen Ring, Shadow, the Erdtree. Thank goodness you're here. And I am your beast. And my top 10 starting at 10 is a thousand times resist. Pokemon TCG pocket Persona 3. Reload animal. Well, Balatro, DBZ sparking zero. Astrobot. Final Fantasy 7 rebirth metaphor refantasio. And my number one is Tekken 8. Where do you got to go?

[Andy Cortez]

Bus.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

I gotta Go to the dentist. But then also I got to do a meeting with Barrett.

[Andy Cortez]

If you want to leave, I can. I could just read some super chat.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Oh, go for it. Well, I guess I got to beat with Barrett.

[Barrett Courtney]

Well, yeah, I got. We have a meeting that we have to do before he leaves. So that's why we're trying to both get out of here.

[Andy Cortez]

Okay. I mean I could just read the super chats if you want. We got super chats off somebody say like oh man, no super chat.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

We know super chats. Let's leave Andy.

[Andy Cortez]

Okay.

[Barrett Courtney]

You get to end the show on your own. Absolutely.

[Andy Cortez]

Great show, Barrett. Great show blessing everybody. Give him a round of applause and I'm going to read your super chats right now as I go to my supers. Here we go. Thank you everybody for supporting us here. And remember, don't forget that if you have Amazon prime, you have Twitch Prime 20. Super chat from Trevor says I tried Persona 5 Royal when it got added to game pass and just couldn't do it and was never able to get into turn based combat previously until Metaphor play the demo and got it for Christmas and I'm absolutely loving it it Trevor. I feel like if I was cloned I would have that clone pay metaphor and then I would.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

We.

[Andy Cortez]

I would connect our brains together so I could experience all of that cuz I. I could tell how truly goated that game is.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Would you feel bad that the clone's life ends to go back into yours?

[Andy Cortez]

Well, no, I think we would just be sharing a consciousness. I don't think I would be killing it.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

I think you would.

[Andy Cortez]

Unless. Yeah, maybe. S bubby jubby five dollar super chat says Tekken 8 is my goatee. Finally a Tekken made for arcade first and looks great. The modes available that help you be a better player, it's pure magic. Thank you S Bubby five dollar super chat from you. We have set eight dollars from Codfish who says more like Barrett Cuteney.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

And.

[Andy Cortez]

Get that one Kevin Barrett came here.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

To talk to me so I couldn't hear you.

[Andy Cortez]

I'm sorry Mr. Hawks with a five dollar super chat to says I interviewed Remy sue from sunset visitor about 1000 times on my podcast today. Nice story Motors podcast and he thanked Barrett for hyping up the game. GG's that rocks. Thank you Mr. Hawks for that. Another super chat from Sbubby says. Am I reading that right? Yeah, I just wanted to verify I was reading it right. Persona 3 Reload is number two on my 2024 list. Persona 3 has always been my favorite Persona game Reload made it, made me love it more and had me put in my top 10 of all time. The game sounds pretty, pretty good. We also have. We already read Jenny Send Nuggies, Super Chat and it looks like we're all caught up right there. Thank you so much for joining us on this episode of the Gamescast. We'll be back tomorrow with a full slate of content. We have a stream coming up next. Probably not anymore. Mike maybe.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

No, we still do.

[Andy Cortez]

I think we have a stream coming up next with Mike and Nick. They're doing something.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

He's seeing me, he hears me, he's just not responding.

[Andy Cortez]

And then later on we'll have the Screencast talking about Creature Commandos. We'll be back tomorrow with more games daily, more games cast more. Just all sorts of fun happening. Keep it locked here. Kind of funny games here on YouTube and Twitch. We'll see you later, gamers. Have a great rest of your day.